confinement

[ kuhn-fahyn-muhnt ]

noun

1. the act of confining.
2. the state of being confined. confined.
3. the lying-in of a woman in childbed; accouchement; childbirth.
4. Military. incarceration in a guardhouse or prison while awaiting trial or as a punishment ( arrest ).

confinement

/ kənˈfaɪnmənt /

noun

1. the act of confining or the state of being confined
2. the period from the onset of labour to the birth of a child
3. physics another name for containment

Other Words From

• noncon·finement noun
• postcon·finement noun
• precon·finement noun
• self-con·finement noun
• semi·con·finement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of confinement¹

1640–50; confine + -ment; compare French confinement

Example Sentences

He was jailed for his role in them, and placed in solitary confinement.

From BBC

In the early years, he said, he acted up, raking up disciplinary infractions that landed him in solitary confinement.

From Los Angeles Times

They have also lobbied against legislation to limit the use of solitary confinement and grant inmates more visiting rights.

From Los Angeles Times

Stewart said she was dragged into solitary confinement for touching an officer.

From Salon

"They're killing him softly in solitary confinement in this death cell," she told the BBC in July 2023, after he had been allowed to call his family for the first time in two years.

From BBC

Related Words

• custody
• detention
• incarceration
• internment
• jail
• repression