confine

confine
con|fine
W3 [kənˈfaın] v [T]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
1¦(limit)¦
2¦(keep somebody in a place)¦
3¦(stop something spreading)¦
4¦(stay in one place)¦
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Date: 1500-1600; : French; Origin: confiner, from Latin confinis; CONFINES]
1.) ¦(LIMIT)¦
to keep someone or something within the limits of a particular activity or subject
= ↑restrict confine sth to sth
▪ The police cadet's duties were confined to taking statements from the crowd.
▪ We confined our study to 10 cases.
confine yourself to (doing) sth
▪ Owen did not confine himself to writing only one type of poem.
2.) ¦(KEEP SOMEBODY IN A PLACE)¦
to keep someone in a place that they cannot leave, such as a prison
confine sb to sth
▪ Any soldier who leaves his post will be confined to barracks (=made to stay in the barracks) .
be confined in sth
▪ He was allegedly confined in a narrow, dark room for two months.
3.) ¦(STOP SOMETHING SPREADING)¦
to stop something bad from spreading to another place
confine sth to sth
▪ Firefighters managed to confine the fire to the living room.
4.) ¦(STAY IN ONE PLACE)¦ [usually passive]
if you are confined to a place, you have to stay in that place, especially because you are ill
▪ Vaughan is confined to a wheelchair .
▪ She's confined to bed with flu.

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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  • confiné — confiné, ée [ kɔ̃fine ] adj. • de confiner 1 ♦ Enfermé. Vivre confiné chez soi. 2 ♦ (1842) Air confiné, non renouvelé. ⇒ renfermé. Atmosphère confinée. confiné, ée adj. d1./d Enfermé. Un malade confiné dans sa chambre. Fig. Un esprit confiné dans …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • confine — con·fine vt con·fined, con·fin·ing: to hold within a location; specif: imprison Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. confine …   Law dictionary

  • Confine — Country …   Wikipedia

  • confiné — confiné, ée (kon fi né, née) part. passé. Relégué. Confiné dans un lieu solitaire. •   Obscurément confiné au fond de sa province, D ALEMB. Éloges, Trublet …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Confine — Con fine (? or ?); 277), v. i. To have a common boundary; to border; to lie contiguous; to touch; followed by on or with. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Where your gloomy bounds Confine with heaven. Milton. [1913 Webster] Bewixt heaven and earth and skies …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Confine — Con fine, n. 1. Common boundary; border; limit; used chiefly in the plural. [1913 Webster] Events that came to pass within the confines of Judea. Locke. [1913 Webster] And now in little space The confines met of empyrean heaven, And of this world …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Confine — Con*fine (k[o^]n*f[imac]n ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Confined}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Confining}.] [F. confiner to border upon, LL. confinare to set bounds to; con + finis boundary, end. See {Final}, {Finish}.] To restrain within limits; to restrict; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • confine — s.m. [dal lat. confine, neutro dell agg. confinis confinante ]. 1. (geogr.) [linea che delimita un territorio o un terreno da un altro] ▶◀ delimitazione, demarcazione, limite, termine, [di regione geografica o di stato] frontiera. 2. (estens.)… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • confine — (n.) c.1400, boundary, limit (usually as confines), from O.Fr. confins boundaries, from M.L. confines, from L. confinium (pl. confinia) boundary, limit, from confine, neut. of confinis bordering on, having the same boundaries, from com with (see… …   Etymology dictionary

  • confine — vb circumscribe, *limit, restrict Analogous words: bind, *tie: *restrain, curb, inhibit, check: *hamper, trammel, fetter, shackle, hog tie, manacle: *imprison, incarcerate, immure, intern, jail confine n bound, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • confine — ► VERB 1) (confine to) restrict (someone or something) within certain limits of (space, scope, or time). 2) (be confined to) be unable to leave (one s bed, home, etc.) due to illness or disability. 3) (be confined) dated (of a woman) remain in… …   English terms dictionary

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