FENCE IN Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

fence in

Also, hem in. Restrict or confine someone, as in He wanted to take on more assignments but was fenced in by his contract, or Their father was old-fashioned and the children were hemmed in by his rules. Both expressions transfer a literal form of enclosure to a figurative one. The first gained currency from a popular song in the style of a cowboy folk song by Cole Porter, “Don't Fence Me In” (1944), in which the cowboy celebrates open land and starry skies. The variant is much older, dating from the late 1500s.

Discover More

Examples have not been reviewed.

It is currently placed next to the reception and is fenced in by a protective barrier.

From

The video shows Tubbs doesn’t immediately jump over the fence in pursuit of Brown, but instead shoots through the fence, fatally wounding Brown.

From

And with Palmer in the sort of form that tormented Liverpool, his side will feel they are approaching the final fences in good shape.

From

In the picture, Cyrus dons a pair of green bunny ears and gives Hurley a kiss on the cheek as they lean against a wooden fence in a lush pasture.

From

Goranson: In a Connerian way — is that a new term? — no one’s getting the white picket fence in the suburbs unless it’s way in the suburbs.

From

Browse