confinement

noun

kən-ˈfīn-mənt How to pronounce confinement (audio)
Definition of confinementnext
1
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined some wild animals take to confinement very poorly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restriction
the act or practice of keeping something (as an activity) within certain boundaries the confinement of commercial development to one stretch of roadway is intended to help preserve the town's rural character

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confinement This reflects a shift towards greater use of halfway houses and home confinement. — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Peters was released from prison June 1 on parole after serving nearly two years in confinement. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 30 June 2026 Some had waited for decades, but the priest learned, more or less, how to accompany people through years of confinement and isolation without losing himself in their desolation. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 Magnetic system advances The toroidal-field magnet acts as the reactor’s primary magnetic confinement system. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for confinement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confinement
  1. captivity
  2. restriction
  3. internment
  4. limitation
  5. imprisonment
  6. incarceration
  7. prison
Noun
  • When the Spanish settlers decamped for Cuba in 1763 after ceding Florida to the English, the few surviving Tequesta, their numbers decimated by 200 years of captivity and slavery, conflict and ill treatment, are believed to have departed with them.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
  • Today, 160 servicemembers were released from captivity.
    — Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of captivity
Noun
  • Leading the list is the United States’ third-country refugee agreements and the Citizenship by Investment program, which both Washington and the European Union have now linked to visa restrictions.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • After a one-year break due to war travel restrictions, the Americans trounced the Nationals 12-0 at Fenway Park, the most one-sided of the All-Star games.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of restriction
Noun
  • But the vastly different conditions under which these objects were produced—at an internment camp and a Pennsylvania estate—expose the striated reality behind that iconography.
    — Cat Dawson, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2026
  • During the special, Klepper travels to a peaceful nude bike rally against ICE internment camps holding people without due process.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 June 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • As organizations scale—adding jurisdictions, entities and filing volume—these limitations persist and compound.
    — Ryan Padget, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • The manufacturer of your gun cabinet should give precise ratings on their fireproof or waterproof limitations.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Definition of limitation
Noun
  • But after his imprisonment, Lilburne’s Proposition became the defining cause of the radical Leveller movement, which subsequently dedicated itself to unlocking all of the revolutionary possibilities lurking in the word equal.
    — Teresa M. Bejan, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
  • Badea, who was involved in the conspiracy for less time, was handed eight years’ imprisonment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • His spouse, Marie Castro Fiallos, told the federal court her husband’s incarceration has been devastating for their children.
    — Lauren Villagran, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • According to Evans, Holmes has maintained a spotless disciplinary record during her three years of incarceration.
    — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • The data, compiled by ICE and processed by a UC Berkeley Law School initiative, sheds light on how the agency has operated in Sacramento, where dozens of arrests have taken place downtown and through administrative transfers at prisons.
    — Mathew Miranda July 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
  • One of them, a 25-year-old Antioch man, is serving a prison sentence in an unrelated Walnut Creek shooting.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 July 2026
Definition of prison

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Cite this Entry

“Confinement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confinement. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on confinement

Nglish: Translation of confinement for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about confinement

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