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confine

 
Dictionary: con·fine   (kən-fīn') pronunciation

v., -fined, -fin·ing, -fines.

v.tr.
  1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See synonyms at limit.
  2. To shut or keep in, especially to imprison.
  3. To restrict in movement: The sick child was confined to bed.
v.intr. Archaic
To border.

n. (kŏn'fīn')
  1. confines
    1. The limits of a space or area; the borders: within the confines of one county.
    2. Restraining elements: wanted to escape the confines of corporate politics.
    3. Purview; scope: a theory that is well within the confines of science.
    1. Archaic. A restriction.
    2. Obsolete. A prison.

[French confiner, from Old French, from confins, boundaries, ultimately from Latin cōnfīne, from neuter of cōnfīnis, adjoining : com-, com- + fīnis, border.]

confinable con·fin'a·ble or con·fine'a·ble adj.
confiner con·fin'er n.

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Thesaurus: confine
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verb

  1. To place a limit on: circumscribe, limit, restrict. See limited/unlimited.
  2. To shut in with or as if with bars: bar, lock, wall. See free/unfree.
  3. To enclose so as to hinder or prohibit escape: closet, imprison, shut up. See free/unfree.
  4. To put in jail: detain, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, lock (up). See free/unfree.

noun

  1. A demarcation point or boundary beyond which something does not extend or occur. bound, end, limit. See edge/center.
  2. The boundary surrounding a certain area. bound, limit (used in plural), precinct (often used in plural). See limited/unlimited.

Antonyms: confine
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v

Definition: enclose, limit
Antonyms: free, let go, liberate, release


WordNet: confine
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 6 meanings:

Meaning #1: restrict or confine, "I limit you to two visits to the pub a day"
  Synonyms: limit, circumscribe

Meaning #2: place limits on (extent or access)
  Synonyms: restrict, restrain, trammel, limit, bound, throttle

Meaning #3: prevent from leaving or from being removed

Meaning #4: close in or confine
  Synonyms: enclose, hold in

Meaning #5: deprive of freedom; take into confinement
  Synonym: detain
  Antonym: free (meaning #1)

Meaning #6: to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
  Synonyms: restrain, hold


Translations: Confine
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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - begrænse, indespærre, holde fangen
v. intr. - afgrænse
n. - grænse, ramme

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    sengeliggende
  • confine oneself to    indskrænke sig til

Nederlands (Dutch)
opsluiten, beperken, (mv) de grenzen van

Français (French)
v. tr. - confiner, limiter, enfermer (qn) (en prison, etc), (Méd) être en couches (arch)
v. intr. - confiner, limiter
n. - frontière, limite

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    être alité
  • confine oneself to    se limiter à, se borner à, se contenter de faire

Deutsch (German)
v. - beschränken, einsperren, eindämmen
n. - Grenze

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    an das Bett gefesselt sein
  • confine oneself to    sich beschränken auf

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - περιορίζω, θέτω υπό περιορισμό ή κράτηση, εγκλείω
n. - (πληθ.) όρια, σύνορα

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    βρίσκομαι σε κατάκλιση, οικουρώ
  • confine oneself to    περιορίζομαι/αρκούμαι σε

Italiano (Italian)
limitare, restringere, imprigionare, incarcerare

idioms:

  • confine oneself to    limitarsi a

Português (Portuguese)
v. - confinar
n. - limite (m)

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    estar de cama
  • confine oneself to    confinar alguém a

Русский (Russian)
ограничить, посадить за решетку

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    быть прикованным к постели
  • confine oneself to    придерживаться чего-либо

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - limitar, restringir, confinar
v. intr. - limitarse, restringirse, confinarse
n. - confín, límite, término

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    guardar cama
  • confine oneself to    limitarse a, restringirse a

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - hålla fängslad, begränsa
n. - gränsområde, begränsningar

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
限制, 禁闭, 闭居, 邻接, 接壤, 边缘, 区域, 范围

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    卧病在床
  • confine oneself to    局限于..., 在...闭门不出

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 限制, 禁閉, 閉居
v. intr. - 鄰接, 接壤
n. - 邊緣, 區域, 範圍

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    臥病在床
  • confine oneself to    局限於..., 在...閉門不出

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 한정하다, 감금하다
v. intr. - 인접하다
n. - 경계, 한계, 감금

idioms:

  • be confined to bed    자리에 눕다
  • confine oneself to    ~에 틀어박히다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 制限する, 閉じ込める, お産の床につかせる
n. - 境界, 国境, 限界

idioms:

  • confine oneself to    限定する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) احتجز, حصر, قيد (الاسم) حدود‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הגביל, ריתק, כלא, צמצם‬
v. intr. - ‮גבל ב-‬
n. - ‮תחום, גבול‬


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
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