{v.} To keep (someone) from doing what he or she would like to do. Usually used in the passive. * /Mary felt fenced in because her father would not let her drive a car or have dates with boys./ * /John didn't like his job because he had to do the same kind of work all the time. He felt that he was hemmed in./
HEM IN
Meaning of HEM IN in English
Dictionary of English idioms . Словарь английских идиом. 2012