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
- attachable adjective
- attacher noun
- reattach verb
- reattachable adjective
- unattachable adjective
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”; stake 1
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.
As it happens, however, there is a direct precedent under U.S. law, well known to the drafters of the 14th Amendment, explaining that the demands of allegiance attach even to temporary or unlawful entrants.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
They agree to attach their names to “How’s That?!” to lend it legitimacy, and are virtually powerless to affect the plots generated by a program their network has deceptively nicknamed Al.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
“Why does a writer attach himself to this kind of narrative if he thinks it’s fundamentally ‘stupid’?” wrote Morrison.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
By analyzing this vast amount of genetic information, the team identified previously unknown proteins that attach to single-stranded DNA.
From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026
After pouring the formulas in, we hang the bags, attach the tubing, and adjust the pump rate for how long we’ll be asleep.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
