1
as in limiting
to set bounds or an upper limit for
will confine my remarks to the subject we came here to discuss
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imprisoning
to put in or as if in prison
the accused was confined until the trial could take place
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Recent Examples of confining
Miškinis and writer Eglė Vertelytė (who adapts Rimantas Kmita’s semi-autobiographical novel) masterfully dodge genre tropes, avoiding confining their characters to simplistic labels and keeping the focus of their arcs self-motivated.
—
Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
Constraints give creative energy a direction to travel, shaping the search space while also confining it — just enough that exploration becomes deeper, weirder, and more productive.
—Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
Peña Lopez and Correa Peña also prevented her from leaving the home by confining her to the room previously used for goats and roosters, the Justice Department said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Here in California, voters approved Proposition 12 in 2018 to set more humane standards for confining farm animals.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Forcing them out means confining most of Gaza's population to overcrowded encampments along the coast further south lacking food, medical supplies and space.
—Steven Scheer, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Bruni Tedeschi captures her in that vortex — her pulmonary illness confining her to bed one minute and her artistic drives reanimating her with defiant spirit the next.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Wildlife art can be confining, constricting, customary; contemporary artists are assuring its survival and vibrancy by breaking from the traditional.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Plants are also unbothered by confining pavement and other urban challenges.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
Constraints give creative energy a direction to travel, shaping the search space while also confining it — just enough that exploration becomes deeper, weirder, and more productive.
—Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
Peña Lopez and Correa Peña also prevented her from leaving the home by confining her to the room previously used for goats and roosters, the Justice Department said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Here in California, voters approved Proposition 12 in 2018 to set more humane standards for confining farm animals.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Forcing them out means confining most of Gaza's population to overcrowded encampments along the coast further south lacking food, medical supplies and space.
—Steven Scheer, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Bruni Tedeschi captures her in that vortex — her pulmonary illness confining her to bed one minute and her artistic drives reanimating her with defiant spirit the next.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Wildlife art can be confining, constricting, customary; contemporary artists are assuring its survival and vibrancy by breaking from the traditional.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Plants are also unbothered by confining pavement and other urban challenges.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confining
Verb
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Schuster said the angle at which the landing area crosses the Fujian’s deck is only 6 degrees off center, compared with 9 degrees on the US carriers, limiting space between the landing strip and the forward two catapults.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Jayhawks did an excellent job of getting back in transition, limiting Louisville’s fast-break opportunities.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There’s a whole history, actually, of how the Pentagon responded to the epidemic within its ranks, first by imprisoning infected men.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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The United States began seizing church property and imprisoning polygamist leaders, coercing church president Wilford Woodruff to end official support for polygamy in 1890.—
Konden Smith Hansen,
The Conversation,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Grade Lane, a major road near the crash site, was closed indefinitely between Stooge and Crittenden, stalling local traffic and further restricting access to the scene.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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That progress is currently in jeopardy, with global policy and legal changes restricting access, compounded by up to 80% of donor funding for family planning being cut or threatened globally.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But a federal lawsuit argues authorities are regularly jailing and deporting immigrants who are survivors of human trafficking, domestic abuse and other crimes.—
Julia Marnin,
Sacbee.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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The state can fairly easily police the requirement that Max be installed on new phones by threatening phone companies that don’t comply or even jailing their executives.—
Justin Sherman,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Mexican-American designer, now 58, got his start in his early 20s interning for Nick Graham at Joe Boxer.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
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Currently serving as a story editor on the upcoming season of Apple TV’s For All Mankind, Day began his career interning at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confining. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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