confines
confines Lexical Profile
confines Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The borders, boundaries, or enclosing limits of a physical place, area, or space.
"The wild ponies rarely wander beyond the safe confines of the national park."
The abstract restrictions, scope, or limiting parameters of an activity, subject, institution, or concept.
"She found it difficult to express her artistic vision within the strict confines of corporate branding."
• verb
To keep or restrict someone or something within certain limits of space, scope, time, or activity (third-person singular present of 'confine').
"The speaker usually confines his remarks to economic policy and avoids partisan debates."
To enclose or shut someone up in a small space, room, or enclosure so that they cannot leave (third-person singular present of 'confine').
"Severe winter weather often confines the elderly residents to their homes for weeks at a time."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun, 'confines' is a pluralia tantum word (almost exclusively used in the plural form, often in the phrase 'within the confines of') and is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable (KON-fynz), whereas the verb form stresses the second syllable (kuhn-FYNZ).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French 'confins', from Latin 'confinium' ('a boundary or border'), formed from 'con-' ('together') and 'finis' ('end, boundary, or limit').