fasten
Americanverb (used with object)
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to attach firmly or securely in place; fix securely to something else.
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to make secure, as an article of dress with buttons, clasps, etc., or a door with a lock, bolt, etc.
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to enclose securely, as a person or an animal (usually followed byin ).
to fasten a monkey in a cage.
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to attach, associate, or connect.
to fasten a nickname on someone.
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to direct (the eyes, thoughts, etc.) intently.
to fasten one's eyes on a speaker.
verb (used without object)
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to become fast, fixed, or firm.
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to close firmly or securely; lock.
This clasp won't fasten.
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to take a firm hold; seize (usually followed by on orupon ).
to fasten on an idea.
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to focus attention; concentrate (usually followed by on orupon ).
His gaze fastened on the jewels.
verb
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to make or become fast or secure
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to make or become attached or joined
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to close or become closed by fixing firmly in place, locking, etc
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(tr; foll by in or up) to enclose or imprison
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to cause (blame, a nickname, etc) to be attached (to); place (on) or impute (to)
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to direct or be directed in a concentrated way; fix
he fastened his gaze on the girl
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take firm hold (of)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fastensimple
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fastenssimple
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have fastenedperfect
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has fastenedperfect
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am fasteningprogressive
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are fasteningprogressive
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is fasteningprogressive
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have been fasteningperfect progressive
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has been fasteningperfect progressive
Past
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fastenedsimple
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had fastenedperfect
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was fasteningprogressive
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were fasteningprogressive
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had been fasteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fasten
before 900; Middle English fastenen, Old English fæstnian; cognate with Old Norse fastna to betroth; akin to fast 1
Explanation
When you fasten something, you close or attach it. You might fasten your coat, closing each snap, when the sun goes down and the air gets chilly. People fasten all kinds of things: we all fasten our seat belts when we board an airplane and fasten our bathrobes by tying them in the front. Your ski goggles might fasten onto your helmet, just as your boots fasten onto your skis. You can also say that you fasten your hair with a barrette or fasten a charm bracelet around your wrist. The Old English root is fæstnian, "make fast or firm."
Vocabulary lists containing fasten
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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:
The implied exhortation is that readers should fasten their seatbelts for a rare old ride.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
At designer Rowen Rose, a large orange stone was used to fasten a green or yellow scarf to a matching sweater.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
Raise your tray tables and your reclining seats, and fasten your seat belts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
During the turbulence, it said a pilot was heard calling out saying the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on.
From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024
He helped her fasten it to the raft and run wires to the small rudder in the back.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Later he fastens his attentions on an unthreatening neighbor and his daughter, who has a crush on Frank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Arciga fastens the headset over his black beanie and enables “Do Not Disturb” on his iPhone, before fastening the phone to his head to record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
As a song—“Just a Little Bit of Light”—plays, he lifts a large menorah from his car, fastens it onto the roof, lights it, and dances beside it, out in the street.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025
The mantle, which fastens across the chest with a golden eagle clasp, is inspired by ancient coronation ensembles and its priest-like style is meant to symbolise the divine nature of kingship.
From BBC ● May 1, 2023
I have a large Plexiglas tray that fastens to the arms of my chair.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
“As a result, we would suggest you remain seated with your seat belts fastened, as we expect more near-term turbulence.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
A plywood arch bearing the words “Caius Caesar: Preparing For Triumph” had been fastened to the door; the kids were getting ready for the annual Roman pageant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
But the bay vacated by the ice shelf was eventually filled with sea-ice "fastened" to the seabed, helping to partly stabilise Hektoria.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
Her bathroom became a toilet she fastened on top of her septic tank outside and exposed for her neighbors to see — had any of them come back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
Deydey had tied two ropes into holes in the wooden beams, and between the two he’d fastened a warm blanket into a hammock.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Visitors also encountered the phonograph and early mechanical fastening devices that foreshadowed later developments in clothing closures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
Arciga fastens the headset over his black beanie and enables “Do Not Disturb” on his iPhone, before fastening the phone to his head to record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
The Irish government has always promised full cooperation with what is a UK statutory public inquiry and they would see this memorandum of understanding as copper fastening that.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025
When Johnson entered the convention center, he hugged about 10 people before sitting on a couch, setting down his small coffee and fastening a headset and microphone.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
Angie helped me into each one, knotting the sashes, fastening the buttons, plumping the bows.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
