confines
n. plural-onlyn. the limits or borders of a space or an activity. It describes the feeling of being kept inside a specific area.
n. the boundaries or limits of a space, area, or activity. Often used to suggest a sense of restriction or enclosure.
It is difficult to live within the confines of a small room.
The researchers were finally able to test their theories outside the narrow confines of the laboratory.
The artist felt that the strict confines of traditional portraiture prevented her from expressing the true psychological depth of her subjects.
Takes plural verb agreement; almost exclusively used in the plural form to describe physical or metaphorical boundaries.
within the confine of the citywithin the confines of the cityIn the sense of boundaries or limits, the word is a plural-only noun and requires the 's' ending.