affix
Americanverb (used with object)
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affixes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affixed,
past participle, past
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affixing
present participle
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to fasten, join, or attach (usually followed byto ).
to affix stamps to a letter.
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to put or add on; append.
to affix a signature to a contract.
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to impress (a seal or stamp).
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to attach (blame, reproach, ridicule, etc.).
noun
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affixes
plural
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something that is joined or attached.
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Grammar. a bound inflectional or derivational element, as a prefix, infix, or suffix, added to a base or stem to form a fresh stem or a word, as -ed added to want to form wanted, or im- added to possible to form impossible.
verb
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to attach, fasten, join, or stick
to affix a poster to the wall
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to add or append
to affix a signature to a document
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to attach or attribute (guilt, blame, etc)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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affixationnoun
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affixernoun
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affixmentnoun
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reaffixverb (used with object)
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affixableadjective
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affixaladjective
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affixialadjective
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unaffixedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
affixsimple
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affixessimple
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have affixedperfect
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has affixedperfect
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am affixingprogressive
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are affixingprogressive
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is affixingprogressive
-
have been affixingperfect progressive
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has been affixingperfect progressive
Past
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affixedsimple
-
had affixedperfect
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was affixingprogressive
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were affixingprogressive
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had been affixingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of affix
1525–35; < Latin affīxus fastened to (past participle of affīgere ), equivalent to af- af- + fīg- fasten + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you affix something, you stick it on to something else. You might affix a stamp to a letter or affix colorful stickers to your notebook. The verb affix often refers to physically attaching something — like when you affix a label onto a folder — but it can be used more broadly to describe adding on something. You might affix your signature to a contract. If you like grammar, you might already know that the noun form of affix refers to letters or words that can be tacked onto other base words to alter their meaning. For example, the prefix un- is an affix.
Vocabulary lists containing affix
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Language and Grammar - Introductory
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Common Core Grades 7–8, List 1
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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:
Prosecutors published photos showing one of Liaw’s deputies with an assistant who they said used a hair dryer to remove and affix labels and serial-number stickers to shipping boxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
Otherwise it waits for someone to complain to its content moderation team, which could then decide to affix a label to something.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Soon, strips of painter’s tape came out to affix our press badges to each device not allowed in to try to keep track of everyone’s property amid the chaos.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2025
Estrada credited the media for breaking the story — which really meant Gerda, who used to affix mics to my shirt when he was an intern at Orange County’s PBS channel about 15 years ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2024
Mother looked in the foyer mirror to affix her loose curls and put on her hat.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Wearing a dark gray suit and armed with a roll of tape, he affixes a poster to the side of streetlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2024
The group, dressed in heavy military gear, silently affixes the pole to a short column along the edge of the roof before quickly walking away.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
Bonnedahl traps black-headed gulls, samples their feces for bacteria carrying AMR genes, and affixes tracking tags to their backs to follow their migrations.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 26, 2023
This is a flexible strip of LED lights that affixes to the back of your TV.
From The Verge ● Aug. 14, 2022
Venia affixes my mockingjay pin over my heart.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The vehicle, with the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag affixed to its top, then smashes through the tyre-and-barricade wall, leaping into the air and speeding on.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
In December, the board decided to rename the institution and new lettering bearing Trump's full name was affixed to the centre's front portico the next day.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
The oversize leather seats, plush couches and the faux library bookcases are all staying, albeit with U.S. presidential seals now affixed to the walls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
An orange banner affixed to the trailer read “Angelino Student Union” — a name they chose to highlight their fight for better-funded schools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
He shouted, his face red, and his eyes affixed on the essential rectitude of his goal.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
“Adverseness is not determined merely by affixing the labels ‘plaintiff’ and ‘defendant’ to the parties,” she explained.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Javier, a garment worker in the area who declined to give his last name, works in a factory affixing buttons to clothing alongside about 20 other workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2025
Both define “content moderation” broadly to encompass removing, deprioritizing, or “shadow banning” posts; “deplatforming” a user; or affixing commentary on others’ posts.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2024
An otherwise ordinary telephone pole stands in front of a bright yellow building as a pair of hands come into frame, affixing a slightly crumpled poster emblazoned with “FANTASY A: RAP GOD” on it.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
As it happens, economists have a curious habit of affixing numbers to complicated transactions.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
