fix
Americanverb (used with object)
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to repair; mend.
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to put in order or in good condition; adjust or arrange.
She fixed her hair in a bun.
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to make fast, firm, or stable.
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to place definitely and more or less permanently.
to fix a circus poster to a wall.
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to settle definitely; determine.
to fix a price.
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to direct (the eyes, the attention, etc.) steadily.
His eyes were fixed on the distant ship.
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to attract and hold (the eye, the attention, etc.).
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to make set or rigid.
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to put into permanent form.
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to put or place (responsibility, blame, etc.) on a person.
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to assign or refer to a definite place, time, etc.
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to provide or supply with (something needed or wanted).
How are you fixed for money?
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Informal. to arrange or influence the outcome or action of, especially privately or dishonestly.
to fix a jury; to fix a game.
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to get (a meal); prepare (food).
What time shall I fix supper?
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Informal. to put in a condition or position to make no further trouble.
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Informal. to get even with; get revenge upon.
I'll fix him!
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Informal. to castrate or spay (an animal, especially a pet).
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Chemistry.
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to make stable in consistency or condition; reduce from fluidity or volatility to a more stable state.
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to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a useful compound, as a nitrate fertilizer.
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Photography. to render (an image) permanent by removing light-sensitive silver halides.
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Microscopy. to kill, make rigid, and preserve for microscopic study.
verb (used without object)
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to become fixed.
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to become set; assume a rigid or solid form.
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to become stable or permanent.
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to settle down.
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Slang. to inject oneself with a narcotic.
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Chiefly Southern U.S. to prepare; plan (usually followed by an infinitive).
I was just fixing to call you. We're fixing to go to Colorado this summer.
noun
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Informal. a position from which it is difficult to escape; predicament.
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Informal. a repair, adjustment, or solution, usually of an immediate nature.
Can you think of a fix for the problem?
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Navigation.
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a charted position of a vessel or aircraft, determined by two or more bearings taken on landmarks, heavenly bod-ies, etc.
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the determining of the position of a ship, plane, etc., by mathematical, electronic, or other means.
The navigator took a fix on the sun and steered the ship due north.
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a clear determination.
Can you get a fix on what he really means?
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Slang.
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an injection of heroin or other narcotic.
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the narcotic or amount of narcotic injected.
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a compulsively sought dose or infusion of something.
to need one's daily fix of soap operas on TV.
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Slang.
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an underhand or illegal arrangement, especially one secured through bribery or influence.
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a contest, situation, etc., whose outcome is prearranged dishonestly.
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verb phrase
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fix on / upon to decide on; determine.
We won't be able to fix on a location for the banquet until we know the number of guests.
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fix up
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to arrange for.
to fix up a date.
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to provide with; furnish.
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to repair; renew.
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to smooth over; solve.
They weren't able to fix up their differences.
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idioms
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fix one's wagon, to exact retribution for an offense; treat someone vengefully.
I'll dock his pay and that will fix his wagon.
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in a fix, pregnant.
verb
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(also intr) to make or become firm, stable, or secure
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to attach or place permanently
fix the mirror to the wall
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(often foll by up) to settle definitely; decide
let us fix a date
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to hold or direct (eyes, attention, etc) steadily
he fixed his gaze on the woman
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to call to attention or rivet
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to make rigid
to fix one's jaw
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to place or ascribe
to fix the blame on someone
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to mend or repair
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informal to provide with
how are you fixed for supplies?
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informal to influence (a person, outcome of a contest, etc) unfairly, as by bribery
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slang to take revenge on; get even with, esp by killing
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informal to give (someone) his just deserts
that'll fix him
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informal to arrange or put in order
to fix one's hair
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informal to prepare
to fix a meal
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dialect to spay or castrate (an animal)
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dialect to prepare oneself
I'm fixing to go out
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photog to treat (a film, plate, or paper) with fixer to make permanent the image rendered visible by developer
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cytology to kill, preserve, and harden (tissue, cells, etc) for subsequent microscopic study
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to convert (atmospheric nitrogen) into nitrogen compounds, as in the manufacture of fertilizers or the action of bacteria in the soil
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to convert (carbon dioxide) into organic compounds, esp carbohydrates, as occurs in photosynthesis in plants and some microorganisms
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to reduce (a substance) to a solid or condensed state or a less volatile state
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slang (intr) to inject a drug
noun
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informal a predicament; dilemma
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the ascertaining of the navigational position, as of a ship, by radar, observation, etc
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slang an intravenous injection of a drug, esp heroin
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informal an act or instance of bribery
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To convert inorganic carbon or nitrogen into stable, organic compounds that can be assimilated into organisms. Photosynthetic organisms such as green plants fix carbon in carbohydrates as food; certain bacteria fix nitrogen as ammonia that can be absorbed directly or through nitrification by plant roots.
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See more at carbon fixation nitrogen fixation
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To convert a substance, especially a gas, into solid or liquid form by chemical reactions.
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To kill and preserve a tissue specimen rapidly to retain as nearly as possible the characteristics it had in the living body.
Usage
Fix meaning “to repair” appears to have been used first in America, but it is long established and has been used in England since the early 19th century: The engineer quickly fixed the faulty valve. The verb use is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing, and objections to it on the grounds of style merely reflect personal prejudice, not the practice of educated speakers and writers. The noun fix meaning “repair, adjustment” is informal. Fix ( to ) meaning “to prepare, plan (to)” is another Americanism: We're fixing to go to town. It once occurred in all the eastern coastal states, but it is now chiefly an informal spoken form in the South Midland and South.
Synonym Usage
Fix, establish imply making firm or permanent. To fix is to fasten in position securely or to make more or less permanent against change, especially something already existing: to fix a bayonet on a gun; fix a principle in one's mind. To establish is to make firm or permanent something (usually newly) originated, created, or ordained: to establish a business, a claim to property.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has fixedperfect 3rd person singular
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have fixtperfect
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has fixtperfect 3rd person singular
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have fixedperfect
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have been fixingperfect progressive
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am fixingprogressive 1st person singular
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is fixingprogressive 3rd person singular
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fixessingular 3rd person
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has been fixingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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fixingparticiple
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are fixingprogressive
Past
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had fixedperfect
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had fixtperfect
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had been fixingperfect progressive
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fixtsimple
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was fixingprogressive singular
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fixedparticiple
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fixedsimple
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were fixingprogressive plural
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fixtparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of fix
First recorded in 1350–1400; (verb) Middle English fixen, from Middle French fixer or Medieval Latin fixāre, derivative of Latin fixus “fixed,” past participle of fīgere “to fasten”
Vocabulary lists containing fix
"Ain't I a Woman?"
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Unit 3, Small-Group Learning
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Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 4
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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.
It added that Nintendo's statements on the problem were "patchy", and as a result many customers simply bought new controllers, instead of pursuing a free fix or replacement via customer service.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
As he took a stroll with his 2-month-old daughter, Juno, he said it had been nice to see the government fix up the park, which he says he tries to enjoy with his daughter daily.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
He says it costs too much money to fix up his place.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
“If you went to the hospital with a busted knee, they would fix it, and that would cost more than an IVF cycle.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Human beings had broken it, and it was up to human beings to fix it.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
