fasten

[ fas-uhn, fah-suhn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to attach firmly or securely in place; fix securely to something else.

   Synonyms: tether, tie, bind, clamp, rivet, clinch, clasp, hook, link, connect

2. to make secure, as an article of dress with buttons, clasps, etc., or a door with a lock, bolt, etc.
3. to enclose securely, as a person or an animal (usually followed by in ):

   to fasten a monkey in a cage.

4. to attach, associate, or connect:

   to fasten a nickname on someone.

5. to direct (the eyes, thoughts, etc.) intently:

   to fasten one's eyes on a speaker.

verb (used without object)

1. to become fast, fixed, or firm.
2. to close firmly or securely; lock:

   This clasp won't fasten.

3. to take a firm hold; seize (usually followed by on or upon ):

   to fasten on an idea.

4. to focus attention; concentrate (usually followed by on or upon ):

   His gaze fastened on the jewels.

fasten

/ ˈfɑːsən /

verb

1. to make or become fast or secure
2. to make or become attached or joined
3. to close or become closed by fixing firmly in place, locking, etc
4. tr; foll by in or up to enclose or imprison
5. trusually foll byon to cause (blame, a nickname, etc) to be attached (to); place (on) or impute (to)
6. usually foll byon or upon to direct or be directed in a concentrated way; fix

   he fastened his gaze on the girl

7. intrusually foll byon take firm hold (of)

Derived Forms

• ˈfastener, noun

Other Words From

• re·fasten verb (used with object)
• well-fastened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fasten¹

before 900; Middle English fastenen, Old English fæstnian; cognate with Old Norse fastna to betroth; akin to fast ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of fasten¹

Old English fæstnian ; related to Old Norse fastna to pledge, Old High German fastinōn to make fast; see fast ¹

Example Sentences

The best snowboard helmet will fit snugly, fasten with a secure chin strap, and protect you from the cold while allowing for venting and moisture-wicking for added comfort.

From Popular-Science

Another key consideration to look for is a cutting element that’s made of a hard, durable material that extends deep into the handle rather than being simply fastened to the end.

From Popular-Science

Finally, a securely fastened battery pack is essential when engaging in sports.

From Popular-Science

The procession traveled under an American flag fastened between firetruck ladders, through an opening in the seven-foot-tall fence that has surrounded the Capitol complex since the day Sicknick was fatally injured.

From Washington Post

For New Dealers like Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, who called Alcoa “one of the worst monopolies that has ever been able to fasten itself upon American life,” it was about rivers.

From Washington Post

They fasten their seat belts to drive one hundred yards across a parking lot.

From The Daily Beast

His biggest apparent weakness: an inability to fasten more than two buttons on his shirt.

From The Daily Beast

Fasten your seat belts—this is going to be a wild four-week ride.

From The Daily Beast

In any case, once he made his rope, how did he fasten it to a metal grill eight feet above the ground?

From The Daily Beast

In the meantime, as Bette Davis used to say, fasten your seatbelts.

From The Daily Beast

He was well set in the form of a man now, the months since his imprisonment having brought him much to fasten upon and hold.

From Project Gutenberg

And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, and he shall be for a throne of glory to the house of his father.

From Project Gutenberg

What—but fasten on his man, and not suffer him to leave his sight without an explanation, which he dreaded to receive.

From Project Gutenberg

When that time comes they wrap it in their blankets, and fasten buyos and other things about the waist for the journey.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, too, they wanted to fasten the porcelain insulators just right and had to consult one of the books several times.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adhere
• affix
• attach
• bolt
• glue
• nail
• screw
• solder
• tighten
• truss
• weld