attachment

American  

[uh-tach-muhnt] / əˈtætʃ mənt /

noun

attachments plural

1. an act of attaching or the state of being attached.

2. a feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal, or the like; devotion; regard.

   a fond attachment to his cousin; a profound attachment to the cause of peace.

   Synonyms:

   devotedness, love

3. Psychology.

   1. an emotional bond between an infant or toddler and primary caregiver, a strong bond being vital for the child’s normal behavioral and social development.

   2. an enduring emotional bond that develops between one adult and another in an intimate relationship.

      romantic attachment.

4. something that attaches; a fastening or tie.

   the attachments of a harness; the attachments of a pair of skis.

   Synonyms:

   connection, junction

5. an additional or supplementary device.

   attachments for an electric drill.

6. Law. seizure of property or person by legal authority, especially seizure of a defendant's property to prevent its dissipation before trial or to acquire jurisdiction over it.

7. something attached, as a document added to a letter.

8. Digital Technology. a computer or electronic file sent with an email.

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attachment British  

/ əˈtætʃmənt /

noun

1. a means of securing; a fastening

2. (often foll by to) affection or regard (for); devotion (to)

   attachment to a person or to a cause

3. an object to be attached, esp a supplementary part

   an attachment for an electric drill

4. the act of attaching or the state of being attached

5. 1. the arrest of a person for disobedience to a court order

   2. the lawful seizure of property and placing of it under control of a court

   3. a writ authorizing such arrest or seizure

6. law the binding of a debt in the hands of a garnishee until its disposition has been decided by the court

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Synonym Usage

See addition.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonattachment
  noun
• overattachment
  noun
• preattachment
  noun
• reattachment
  noun
• self-attachment
  noun
• superattachment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• attachments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of attachment

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English attachement “detention, distraint, seizure,” from Anglo-French; see attach, -ment

Explanation

Attachment is a sticky word: an email attachment fastens a file to an email, while someone who has an attachment to email loves email. Attachment brings things together. Attachment is a word that's equal parts mechanical and emotional. Many gadgets — such as cameras and tractors — have attachments that allow them to get more done, like a tractor attachment for plowing snow. People have attachments to bands, political movements, sports teams, hobbies, and each other. It's important for babies to develop attachments to their parents — this means they're bonding with their parents. Attachment is a lot like duct tape — it fastens people and things together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attachment attachments

Across social media, attachment styles are used to reassess friendships, make sense of family tensions or rule out potential partners.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

But Vrticka says that change is gradual and professional support is likely to be needed for people with more entrenched attachment patterns.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Vrticka says one of the biggest misconceptions is that attachment styles are fixed.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

There are four attachment styles - anxious, avoidant, fearful-avoidant and secure.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

He painted it from the heart: the scene harks back to his time in the Borinage, and it reflects his attachment to his own family and to the idea of family, to the ideal family.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Levine also argues that insecure attachments can in themselves be strengths.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

He had childhood attachments and a father who would be an assistant coach on the bench, but he also had options.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

The turn-of-the-century molds in his studio — which use botanic motifs, blossoming forms with metallic winged and floral attachments — look like desk toppers fit for an early 1900s eccentric obsessed with Darwinism and industrialization.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Over time, as people are uprooted from their agricultural communities as industrialisation tears apart people's familiar attachments, individuals become "alienated", he says.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026

Students in a team-taught course save their papers under the name of the professor who assigned it, so I get a dozen email attachments named “pinker.doc.”

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• affinity
• devotion
• friendship
• loyalty