confine

See also: confiné

English

Etymology

From Middle French confiner.

Pronunciation

• (verb) enPR: kənfīnʹ, IPA^(key): /kənˈfaɪn/
• (noun)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnfaɪn/
  • (US) enPR: känʹfīn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnfaɪn/
• Rhymes: -aɪn

Verb

confine (third-person singular simple present confines, present participle confining, simple past and past participle confined)

1. (transitive) To restrict; to keep within bounds; to shut or keep in a limited space or area.
   • Shakespeare

     Now let not nature's hand / Keep the wild flood confined! let order die!

   • Dryden

     He is to confine himself to the compass of numbers and the slavery of rhyme.

2. To have a common boundary; to border; to lie contiguous; to touch; followed by on or with.
   • Milton

     Where your gloomy bounds / Confine with heaven

   • Dryden

     Betwixt heaven and earth and skies there stands a place / Confining on all three.

Translations

to restrict; to keep within bounds

• Albanian: ngujoj
• Bulgarian: ограничавам (bg) (ograničávam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 局限 (zh) (júxiàn)

• Czech: poutat, omezovat, tísnit
• Dutch: begrenzen (nl), inperken, beperken (nl)
• Finnish: (to restrict) rajoittaa (fi), (to shut/keep in a limited space/area) rajata (fi)
• French: confiner (fr)

• German: beschränken (de)
• Greek: περιορίζω (el) (periorízo)
• Japanese: 限る (かぎる, kagiru)
• Maori: whakatiki, whakatina, whakatina
• Portuguese: confinar (pt)
• Russian: ограничивать (ru) impf (ograníčivatʹ), ограничить (ru) pf (ograníčitʹ)
• Spanish: confinar
• Swedish: begränsa (sv), inskränka (sv)
• Telugu: పరిమితము (te) (parimitamu), పరిమితము చేయు (parimitamu cēyu), నిర్బంధించు (te) (nirbamdhimcu)

detain — see detain

lock up — see lock up

arrest — see arrest

imprison — see imprison

incarcerate — see incarcerate

Noun

confine (plural confines)

1. Limit.

Translations

limit

• Bulgarian: граници (bg) (granici), предел (bg) (predel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 界限 (zh) (jièxiàn)

• Dutch: limiet (nl)
• Finnish: raja (fi)
• French: limite (fr) f

• Greek: περιορισμός (el) m (periorismós)
• Korean: v.감금하다 n.감금 (V.gamgeumhada n.gamgeum)
• Portuguese: confim (pt) m
• Russian: граница (ru) f (graníca), предел (ru) m (predél), лимит (ru) m (limít)
• Spanish: confín m, raya (es) f

Synonyms

• (limit): border, bound, limit

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.fin/
• Homophones: confinent, confines

Verb

confine

1. first-person singular present indicative of confiner
2. third-person singular present indicative of confiner
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of confiner
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of confiner
5. second-person singular imperative of confiner

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Italian

Noun

confine m (plural confini)

1. border, frontier
2. boundary

Related terms

• confinante
• confinare
• confinario
• confino

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Latin

Adjective

confīne

1. nominative neuter singular of confīnis
2. accusative neuter singular of confīnis
3. vocative neuter singular of confīnis

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Spanish

Verb

confine

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of confinar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of confinar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of confinar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of confinar.