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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have attachedperfect
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has attachedperfect 3rd person singular
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am attachingprogressive 1st person singular
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is attachingprogressive 3rd person singular
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attachingparticiple
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attachessingular 3rd person
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have been attachingperfect progressive
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has been attachingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are attachingprogressive
Past
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had attachedperfect
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were attachingprogressive plural
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was attachingprogressive singular
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had been attachingperfect progressive
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attachedparticiple
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attachedsimple
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.
The pioneering research Aidan donated his brain matter to has allowed scientists to show how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer's can attach to and damage the connections between brain cells.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
To investigate these effects, scientists tracked DNA methylation, a common epigenetic modification in which chemical groups containing carbon and hydrogen atoms attach to promoter regions that regulate whether genes are turned on or off.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
Marvell’s custom chips, which it calls XPUs, and its supporting chips, referred to as XPU attach, are also a boost to the business, Murphy said.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
There, mycorrhizal fungi attach to the cells of a plant’s roots and spread out threadlike filaments, searching for nutrients and water to supply to the plant in return for carbon.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
“I’m going to attach this staircase to the wall, see? Like so? And then put shelves way up high for the cats to climb to. It’ll be cat paradise.”
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
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.
