attach
Americanverb (used with object)
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to fasten or affix; join; connect.
to attach a photograph to an application with a staple.
- Antonyms:
- detach
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to join in action or function; make part of.
to attach oneself to a group.
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Military. to place on temporary duty with or in assistance to a military unit.
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to include as a quality or condition of something.
One proviso is attached to this legacy.
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to assign or attribute.
to attach significance to a gesture.
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to bind by ties of affection or regard.
You always attach yourself to people who end up hurting you.
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Law. to take (persons or property) by legal authority.
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Obsolete. to lay hold of; seize.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to join, fasten, or connect
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(reflexive or passive) to become associated with or join, as in a business or other venture
he attached himself to the expedition
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to be inherent (in) or connected (with)
responsibility attaches to the job
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to attribute or ascribe
to attach importance to an event
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to include or append, esp as a condition
a proviso is attached to the contract
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(usually passive) military to place on temporary duty with another unit
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(usually passive) to put (a member of an organization) to work in a different unit or agency, either with an expectation of reverting to, or while retaining some part of, the original working arrangement
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to appoint officially
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law to arrest or take (a person, property, etc) with lawful authority
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obsolete to seize
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attachsimple
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attachessimple
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have attachedperfect
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has attachedperfect
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am attachingprogressive
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are attachingprogressive
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is attachingprogressive
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have been attachingperfect progressive
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has been attachingperfect progressive
Past
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attachedsimple
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had attachedperfect
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was attachingprogressive
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were attachingprogressive
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had been attachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of attach
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English atachen, from Anglo-French atacher “to seize,” Old French atachier “to fasten,” alteration of estachier “to fasten with or to a stake,” from estach(e), from Frankish stakka “stake”; cf. stake 1
Explanation
Use the verb attach when you need to join things together, like a stamp that you attach to a letter. When you attach something, you join it or tie it to something else. The word can be used to show physically joining things, like a printer that you attach to your computer, or to show a strong personal connection. For example, you can attach yourself to a political cause or to a group of friends.
Vocabulary lists containing attach
"Hitching a Ride"
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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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.
See Examples For:
Influenza uses hemagglutinin to attach to and enter host cells.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Dey De Guzman helps Sabine Hoppner attach her climbing harness at a community event Saturday in Pasadena..
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Mikko offered a hypothetical: a manufacturer, he said, could ship a car to Finland without its side mirrors and attach them locally, just enough to make it seem assembled there and dodge the tariff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
He added that they had been able to give him water and attach him to an intravenous drip.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Even if they should, they would attach no importance to it.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The system relies on a non destructive, controlled release adhesive that attaches without requiring built in mounting hardware.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Roberts described the injury as “discomfort” at the back of Ohtani’s knee, around where the hamstring attaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
"The state attaches great importance to it. But can the miners who died come back to life?"
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
He then attaches a pair of gloves to a fan, and the hands, now autonomous, proceed to “play” the improvised teapot instrument.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
He has little feeling for others outside a very small circle of friends, and attaches little real value to human life.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
As the Games approach, when venue designs are finalized, seats are assigned and tickets open to a first-come, first-served basis, there will likely be other chances to buy tickets with special seat assignments attached.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The answer, discovered in 1975 by Dr. Snyder and one of his graduate students, Candace Pert, was a cellular site—a receptor—to which dopamine attached.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
They fear that any strings attached to the public money will make many private schools balk at taking it.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
“There is no cash flow attached to them and they could easily be reversed,” Windsor wrote of the equity impacts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
A control box with toggle switches was attached to the car with a rubber band.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
It is extending the border fence out to sea, attaching long lines of orange buoys to the jetty which ships will then patrol to deter future swimmers.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
For most of his career, he found his relevance by attaching himself to those who were.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
The researchers modified DHI by attaching alkyl chains to its sp³ carbon atoms -- which have four bonds pointing in fixed 3D directions.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
There is a difference, albeit a fine one, between attaching strings and asking your children to be accountable for how they use the money you give them by discussing their dreams and financial goals.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
Emma was in the humour to value simplicity and modesty to the utmost; and all that was amiable, all that ought to be attaching, seemed on Harriet’s side, not her own.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
