Meanings
present singular third person attaches · participle present attaching · participle past attached · past attached
- transitiveTo fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively).
You need to attach the carabiner to your harness.
4 more examples
An officer is attached to a certain regiment, company, or ship.
[T]he ſhoulder-blade has no bony communication with the trunk, either by a joint, or proceſs, or in any other way. […] It is bedded in the fleſh; attached only to the muſcles.
1802, William Paley, “Of Mechanical Arrangement in the Human Frame”, in Natural Theology: Or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, Collected from the Appearances of Nature, London: […] [F]or R[obert] Faulder, […], by Wilks and Taylor, […], →OCLC, page 117A huge stone, to which the cable on the left bank was attached, was removed years later
1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLCTurbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American ScientistSynonyms: connect, annex, affix, unite, accouple, affix, assemble, associate · Antonyms: detach, unfasten, disengage, separate, decouple, detach, disconnect, disengage
- To include an attachment with a communication (especially an email or other electronic communication).
I've attached the contract to this email.
- To come into legal operation in connection with anything; to vest.
Dower will attach.
1 more example
it therefore becomes important to know at what time the lien for taxes will attach.
1886, Thomas M. Cooley, A Treatise on the Law of Taxation - To win the heart of; to connect by ties of love or self-interest; to attract; to fasten or bind by moral influence; with to.
attached to a friend; attaching others to us by wealth or flattery
2 more examples
incapable of attaching a sensible man
1811, [Jane Austen], Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLCGod […] by various ties attaches man to man.
1782, William Cowper, “Charity”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC - To connect, in a figurative sense; to ascribe or attribute; to affix; with to.
Some of the guilt must attach to the parents.
2 more examples
to attach great importance to a particular circumstance
To this treasure a curse is attached.
1879, Bayard Taylor, Studies in German LiteratureSynonyms: chalk up to, draw, impute, accredit, ascribe, attribute, chalk up to, charge
- obsoleteTo take, seize, or lay hold of.
Then homeward every man attach the hand / Of his fair mistress.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], lines 351–352 - obsoletelawTo arrest, seize.
The earl marshal attached Gloucester for high treason.
1868–1899, Charlotte M[ary] Yonge, Cameos from English History, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC2 more examples
Eftsoones the Gard, which on his state did wait, / Attacht that faitor false, and bound him strait […]
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLCOld lord, I cannot blame thee, / Who am myself attach'd with weariness / To th' dulling of my spirits: sit down, and rest.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively).
verbTo adhere; to be attached.
verbTo connect, in a figurative sense; to ascribe or attribute; to affix; with to.
More synonyms by meaning
verbtake temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Old Frencha-
- Proto-Indo-European*stegʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*stogʰō?
- Proto-Germanic*stakô
- Old Frenchestache
- Old Frenchestachier
- Old Frenchatachier
- Middle Englishattachen
- Englishattach
From Middle English attachen, from Old French atachier, variant of estachier (“bind”), derived from estache (“stick”), from Frankish *stakkā, *stakō (“stick”), from Proto-Germanic *stakô (“pole, bar, stick, stake”). Doublet of attack. More at stake, stack. Displaced native Old English þīedan.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Frankish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἐξάπτω
- ἐξάπτω (exáptō)to fasten, to join to
Arabic رَبَطَ
- رَبَطَ (rabaṭa)to fasten, to join to
Bengali আটকানো, লাগানো
- আটকানো (aṭkanō)to fasten, to join to
- লাগানো (laganō)to fasten, to join to
Bulgarian закрепвам, прикрепвам
- закрепвам (zakrepvam)to fasten, to join to
- прикрепвам (prikrepvam)to fasten, to join to
Chinese Mandarin 附上, 附
- 附上 (fùshàng)to fasten, to join to
- 附 (fù)to fasten, to join to
- 附筆 /附笔 (fùbǐ)to fasten, to join to
- 附加 (fùjiā)to fasten, to join to
- 附有 (fùyǒu)to fasten, to join to
Czech připojit, přiložit
- připojitto fasten, to join to
- přiložitto fasten, to join to
- připevnitto fasten, to join to
- přichytit seto fasten, to join to
Dutch vastmaken
- vastmakento fasten, to join to
Esperanto kroĉi, alligi
- kroĉito fasten, to join to
- alligito fasten, to join to
Estonian kaasama
- kaasamato fasten, to join to
Finnish liittää
- liittääto fasten, to join to
French attacher
- attacherto fasten, to join to
German anbringen
- anbringento fasten, to join to
Greek επισυνάπτω
- επισυνάπτω (episynápto)to fasten, to join to
Hebrew חיבר
- חיבר (khibér)to fasten, to join to
Hungarian csatol, kapcsol
- csatolto fasten, to join to
- kapcsolto fasten, to join to
Irish ceangail, greamaigh
- ceangailto fasten, to join to
- greamaighto fasten, to join to
Italian legare, appiccare
- legareto fasten, to join to
- appiccareto fasten, to join to
Japanese 付ける, 添付する
- 付ける (tsukeru)to fasten, to join to
- 添付する (tenpu surú)to fasten, to join to
Korean 첨부하다, 붙이다
- 첨부하다 (cheombuhada)to fasten, to join to
- 붙이다 (buchida)to fasten, to join to
Latin adiciō, applicō
- adiciōto fasten, to join to
- applicōto fasten, to join to
- apōto fasten, to join to
- illigōto fasten, to join to
- nectōto fasten, to join to
Māori whakapiri, whakapiripiri
- whakapirito fasten, to join to
- whakapiripirito fasten, to join to
- whakamauto fasten, to join to
- whakarapato fasten, to join to
- aropirito fasten, to join to
- tautarato fasten, to join to
Polish przytwierdzać, przytwierdzić
- przytwierdzaćto fasten, to join to
- przytwierdzićto fasten, to join to
- umocowywaćto fasten, to join to
- umocowaćto fasten, to join to
- zamocowywać impf zamocowaćto fasten, to join to
- mocowaćto fasten, to join to
- przymocowywać impf przymocowaćto fasten, to join to
Portuguese anexar
- anexarto fasten, to join to
Romanian lega, atașa
- legato fasten, to join to
- atașato fasten, to join to
- anexato fasten, to join to
Russian прикрепля́ть, прикрепи́ть
- прикрепля́ть (prikrepljátʹ)to fasten, to join to
- прикрепи́ть (prikrepítʹ)to fasten, to join to
- заде́рживать (zadérživatʹ)to arrest, seize
- задержа́ть (zaderžátʹ)to arrest, seize
Spanish adjuntar, atachar
- adjuntarto fasten, to join to
- atacharto fasten, to join to
- atachearto fasten, to join to
- adosarto fasten, to join to
- prenderto fasten, to join to
- unirto fasten, to join to
Swedish fästa, sätta fast
- fästato fasten, to join to
- sätta fastto fasten, to join to
- bifogato fasten, to join to
- vidfogato fasten, to join to
Thai ติด
- ติด (dtìt)to fasten, to join to
Ukrainian прикрі́плювати, прикріпля́ти
- прикрі́плювати (prykrípljuvaty)to fasten, to join to
- прикріпля́ти (prykripljáty)to fasten, to join to
- прикріпи́ти (prykripýty)to fasten, to join to
- причі́плювати (pryčípljuvaty)to fasten, to join to
- причіпля́ти (pryčipljáty)to fasten, to join to
- причепи́ти (pryčepýty)to fasten, to join to
- приє́днувати (pryjédnuvaty)to fasten, to join to
- приєдна́ти (pryjednáty)to fasten, to join to
- прив'я́зувати (pryvʺjázuvaty)to fasten, to join to
- прив'яза́ти (pryvʺjazáty)to fasten, to join to
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with attach
Anagrams
Cite this entry
attach. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attach
“attach.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attach. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “attach,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attach.
Source: attach on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.