confine

名词指边界、范围或禁闭状态，动词指把人或事物限制在一定范围内；另有“与……接壤”的旧义。

💡 记忆钩子

把它想成一道围住某物的界线：界线本身是范围或边界，落在界线里面就成了禁闭；作为动词，就是把人或事物围在界线内、限制其活动或范围。

📝 学习建议

学习时先掌握动词“限制在一定范围内”和名词复数“范围、界限”，再把“禁闭”理解为被界线围住的结果；不要把它只记成单纯的“禁止”。

📖 中文释义

noun

common 范围；界限

📖 指划定某事物活动或存在范围的界线，也可以引申为某个领域的限制范围；核心画面就是被界线围住的区域。

💡 常见结构是“within the confines of + 地点或领域”，表示“在……的范围内”。这一义项多用复数形式，语气比普通的“范围”更正式，常见于书面语。不要把它当作只能指地理边界的词。

in-plural

The research must stay within the confines of the law.

这项研究必须在法律允许的范围内进行。
rare 禁闭；囚禁

📖 指被关在界线之内、失去自由的状态，是“范围或界限”这一核心意思在人的身上的延伸。

poetic

confines plural

verb

rare 与……接壤

📖 指两个地方有共同边界、彼此相邻；这是把“边界”理解为两地相接的旧用法，现代英语中基本不使用。

obsolete
core 限制；使局限于

📖 指把人或事物围在某个范围、地点或活动领域内，使其不能超出界线；既可以是实际关住，也可以是抽象地限制范围。

💡 常见结构是“confine + 人或物 + to + 范围”，例如把某人限制在一个地方，或把讨论限制在某个主题内。它强调“不能越出界线”，不只是暂时安排在某处；被动形式也很常见。中文使用者容易漏掉介词“to”，或把它误用成不带对象的“禁止”。

transitive

The doctor confined him to bed for several days.

医生让他卧床休息了几天。

Please confine your comments to the main issue.

请把你的评论限制在主要问题上。

confines present,singular,third-person confining participle,present confined participle,past confined past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 5 组

place limits on (extent or amount or access);

同义词集: restrict trammel limit bound confine throttle

restrict the use of this parking lot

limit the time you can spend with your friends

下位: constrain, cramp, cumber, encumber, gate, halter, hamper, reduce, restrain, scant, skimp, stiffen, strangle, tie, tighten, tighten up

to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement; ; ;

同义词集: restrain confine hold constrain

This holds the local until the express passengers change trains

About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade

The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center

The terrorists held the journalists for ransom

上位: disable, disenable, incapacitate 下位: bind, fold, ground, impound, pen up, pound, pound up, tie down, tie up, truss

prevent from leaving or from being removed

同义词集: confine

上位: hold back, keep, keep back, restrain 下位: cabin, closet, lock, lock away, lock in, lock up, put away, shut away, shut up

deprive of freedom; take into confinement

同义词集: confine detain

反义: free, liberate, loose, release, unloose, unloosen 下位: cage, cage in, gaol, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, jug, keep, lag, pin down, put away, put behind bars, remand, trap

close in

同义词集: enclose hold in confine

darkness enclosed him

上位: bear, carry, contain, hold 下位: border, bound, frame, rail, rail in

🌳 词源

源自中古法语，最终来自拉丁语，词源核心与“共同的边界”有关。

From Middle French confiner, from confins, from Medieval Latin confines, from Latin confinium, from confīnis.

🔄 变式

confined past confines plural confining present

🏷 单词标签 & 词根