attach

[uh-tach]

verb (used with object)

1. to fasten or affix; join; connect.

   to attach a photograph to an application with a staple.

   Synonyms: annex, add, append, subjoin
   Antonyms: detach

2. to join in action or function; make part of.

   to attach oneself to a group.

3. Military.,  to place on temporary duty with or in assistance to a military unit.

4. to include as a quality or condition of something.

   One proviso is attached to this legacy.

5. to assign or attribute.

   to attach significance to a gesture.

6. to bind by ties of affection or regard.

   You always attach yourself to people who end up hurting you.

7. Law.,  to take (persons or property) by legal authority.

8. Obsolete.,  to lay hold of; seize.

verb (used without object)

1. to adhere; pertain; belong (usually followed by to orupon ).

   No blame attaches to him.

attach

/ əˈtætʃ /

verb

1. to join, fasten, or connect

2. (reflexive or passive) to become associated with or join, as in a business or other venture

   he attached himself to the expedition

3. to be inherent (in) or connected (with)

   responsibility attaches to the job

4. to attribute or ascribe

   to attach importance to an event

5. to include or append, esp as a condition

   a proviso is attached to the contract

6. (usually passive) military to place on temporary duty with another unit

7. (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

8. to appoint officially

9. law to arrest or take (a person, property, etc) with lawful authority

10. obsolete,  to seize

Other Word Forms

• attacher noun
• attachable adjective
• reattach verb
• reattachable adjective
• unattachable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of attach¹

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”; stake ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of attach¹

C14: from Old French atachier to fasten, changed from estachier to fasten with a stake, from estache _stake ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see no strings attached.

Example Sentences

The monologue mocks man’s attempts to attach meaning to existence, but this novel approach underscores that while men may never be able to find meaning in life, trying is a necessary, even noble pursuit.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“It’s like it’s attached to your body,” my parents say about how I treat my phone.

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There, yellow robotic arms lurch down from the ceiling, grabbing parts, welding and attaching doors.

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As part of this complex system, T-cells have receptors that help the body detect viruses, bacteria or other threats, but some can also attach to and alert against our own tissues, causing damage.

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The effort required drilling holes into the balls, to attach wooden rods meant to be chemical bonds.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• add 
• adhere 
• affix 
• connect 
• fix 
• hook up 
• link 
• secure 
• stick 
• tie