hems in

VERB

enclose, restrict

Synonyms

WEAK

begird beset border bound cage circle circumscribe close in confine corral define edge encircle encompass envelop environ fence fringe girdle hedge in immure margin pen rim ring round shut shut in skirt surround verge

Antonyms

WEAK

let go release

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As smoke quickly darkens the day and the unstoppable, town-hopping fire hems in the bus, cutting off routes, the journey takes a dystopian turn, raising the stakes and alarm levels to unimaginable heights.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025

“That's why the young people are agitating right now for change,” he says, suggesting they are frustrated by a corrupt political system that hems in their potential.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

Along with Japan's neighbouring island of Okinawa, Taiwan hems in Beijing's forces.

From Reuters • Jun. 7, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic hems in Veterans Day events this year so groups throughout the region are finding ways to honor veterans safely.

From Washington Times • Nov. 11, 2020

The serene and impartial day that arches from verge to verge in War and Peace, the blackness that hems in the ominous circle of the Brothers Karamazov—it is a perfect contrast.

From The Craft of Fiction by Lubbock, Percy