fasten
Americanverb (used with object)
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fastens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fastened,
past participle, past
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fastening
present participle
-
to attach firmly or securely in place; fix securely to something else.
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to make secure, as an article of dress with buttons, clasps, etc., or a door with a lock, bolt, etc.
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to enclose securely, as a person or an animal (usually followed byin ).
to fasten a monkey in a cage.
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to attach, associate, or connect.
to fasten a nickname on someone.
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to direct (the eyes, thoughts, etc.) intently.
to fasten one's eyes on a speaker.
verb (used without object)
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fastens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fastened,
past participle, past
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fastening
present participle
-
to become fast, fixed, or firm.
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to close firmly or securely; lock.
This clasp won't fasten.
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to take a firm hold; seize (usually followed by on orupon ).
to fasten on an idea.
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to focus attention; concentrate (usually followed by on orupon ).
His gaze fastened on the jewels.
verb
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to make or become fast or secure
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to make or become attached or joined
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to close or become closed by fixing firmly in place, locking, etc
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(tr; foll by in or up) to enclose or imprison
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to cause (blame, a nickname, etc) to be attached (to); place (on) or impute (to)
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to direct or be directed in a concentrated way; fix
he fastened his gaze on the girl
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take firm hold (of)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fastensimple
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fastenssimple
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have fastenedperfect
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has fastenedperfect
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am fasteningprogressive
-
are fasteningprogressive
-
is fasteningprogressive
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have been fasteningperfect progressive
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has been fasteningperfect progressive
Past
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fastenedsimple
-
had fastenedperfect
-
was fasteningprogressive
-
were fasteningprogressive
-
had been fasteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fasten
before 900; Middle English fastenen, Old English fæstnian; cognate with Old Norse fastna to betroth; akin to fast 1
Explanation
When you fasten something, you close or attach it. You might fasten your coat, closing each snap, when the sun goes down and the air gets chilly. People fasten all kinds of things: we all fasten our seat belts when we board an airplane and fasten our bathrobes by tying them in the front. Your ski goggles might fasten onto your helmet, just as your boots fasten onto your skis. You can also say that you fasten your hair with a barrette or fasten a charm bracelet around your wrist. The Old English root is fæstnian, "make fast or firm."
Vocabulary lists containing fasten
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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:
“Don’t blame anyone else, you just fasten it on me,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The implied exhortation is that readers should fasten their seatbelts for a rare old ride.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
At designer Rowen Rose, a large orange stone was used to fasten a green or yellow scarf to a matching sweater.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
After telling Ms Harris to fasten her seatbelt, Ms Buell said the soon-to-be Democratic nominee quipped, “I was born with a seatbelt.”
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2024
He had gone into the store before lunch to get some things he needed, and in his hurry he had forgotten to fasten the padlock.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
David Raya fastens his gloves and breathes out.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
Later he fastens his attentions on an unthreatening neighbor and his daughter, who has a crush on Frank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Arciga fastens the headset over his black beanie and enables “Do Not Disturb” on his iPhone, before fastening the phone to his head to record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
As a song—“Just a Little Bit of Light”—plays, he lifts a large menorah from his car, fastens it onto the roof, lights it, and dances beside it, out in the street.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025
He unzips his jacket and I press against him as he fastens it around me.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Bright orange robotic arms fastened bolts onto engine manifolds, pipe flanges and pump housings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
On long red ribbons fastened to a metal structure around a tree trunk, people wrote wishes for success at work or school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Smith said it was accepted there had been a failure to ensure the grating was properly fastened to prevent detachment while under tow.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
The sense of fear is palpable in parts of northern Japan, where some locals have fastened bells to their bags hoping the noise will keep bears away, while signs warn people to be on guard.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
I did not wake her, but tucked her up warmly; I have taken care that the door is locked and the window securely fastened.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Visitors also encountered the phonograph and early mechanical fastening devices that foreshadowed later developments in clothing closures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
The mission was dizzying, literally, as he spent months fastening his seatbelt and zipping through mountains, strapping on AR goggles and floating into fairy tales.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2024
Kondo brought garments to life, like kites in the sky with voluminous silhouettes created by fastening and unfastening buttons.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
Following the outcry in Paris, Sargent repainted the fastening securely in place, but he never showed the painting again and was forced to decamp to London to restore his career.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
Quickly I slipped the free chain through the fastening link on my own chain, pulled it taut, and secured it the best I could.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
