ENGLISH
REFERENCE

confined

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //kənˈfaɪnd// UK //kənfˈaɪnd// con·fined

v. to keep someone or something inside a small or closed space. It can also mean to limit an activity or a problem to one specific area.

v. to restrict someone or something within certain limits of space or activity. Transitive; frequently used in the passive voice to describe physical or metaphorical boundaries.


SIMPLE

The heavy rain confined the children to the house all day.

CONTEXTUAL

The authorities managed to ensure the virus was confined to a single neighborhood through strict quarantine measures.

COMPLEX

The speaker's remarks were strictly confined to the economic implications of the policy, avoiding any mention of the controversial social consequences.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and frequently takes the preposition 'to' before the noun phrase representing the limit.

Pitfall

he was confined in the roomhe was confined to the roomWhile 'in' is occasionally used for physical spaces, 'to' is the standard preposition for this verb in both physical and abstract contexts.

Idioms1 entry

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