{
    "term": "confine",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "academic": true,
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "confine",
            "heSheIt": "confines"
        },
        "pastSimple": "confined",
        "pastParticiple": "confined",
        "ingForm": "confining"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to keep somebody/something inside the limits of a particular activity, subject, area, etc.",
            "sensetop": "be confined to (doing) somethingconfine yourself to (doing) somethingbe confined + adv./prep.",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The work will not be confined to the Glasgow area.",
                    "contextForm": "be confined to (doing) something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I will confine myself to looking at the period from 1900 to 1916.",
                    "contextForm": "confine yourself to (doing) something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Here the river is confined in a narrow channel.",
                    "contextForm": "be confined + adv./prep."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Let's confine our attention to the problem of truancy."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Not all horror stories are safely confined to the television set or movie screen."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Poverty and deprivation are by no means confined to the north of the country."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The discussion will be confined largely to general principles."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They confined themselves to purely economic matters."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These small mammals are generally confined to the south of the island."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "restrict",
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["entirely", "exclusively", "solely"],
                "preposition": ["to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to keep a person or an animal in a small or closed space",
            "sensetop": "be confined (in something)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Keep the dog confined in a suitable travelling cage.",
                    "contextForm": "be confined (in something)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The soldiers concerned were **confined to barracks** (= had to stay in the , as a punishment)."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to have to stay in bed, in a wheelchair, etc.",
            "sensetop": "be confined to bed, a wheelchair, etc.",
            "labels": "(often offensive)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was confined to bed with the flu."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was confined to a wheelchair after the accident."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪn/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfine__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪnz/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfines__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪnd/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfined__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪnɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfining__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪn/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfine__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪnz/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfines__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪnd/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfined__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfaɪnɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/confine/xconfining__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English (as a noun): from French confins (plural noun), from Latin confinia, from confinis ‘bordering’, from con- ‘together’ + finis ‘end, limit’ (plural fines ‘territory’). The verb senses are from French confiner, based on Latin confinis."
}