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Detain vs Confine - What's the difference?

detain | confine |

In transitive terms the difference between detain and confine

is that detain is to keep back or from; to withhold while confine is to restrict; to keep within bounds; to shut or keep in a limited space or area.

As verbs the difference between detain and confine

is that detain is keep (someone) from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention while confine is to restrict; to keep within bounds; to shut or keep in a limited space or area.

As a noun confine is

limit.

detain

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • Keep (someone) from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
  • To put under custody.
  • To keep back or from; to withhold.
  • * Jeremy Taylor
  • Detain not the wages of the hireling.

    confine

    English

    Verb

    (confin)
  • 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.
  • 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.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Limit.
  • Synonyms

    * (limit) border, bound, limit English heteronyms ----