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definitions

fixing

[fik-sing]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fixing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that fixes.
fixings. Also fix·in's [fik-sinz] /ˈfɪk sɪnz/. Informal.
  1. the necessary ingredients: salad fixings.
  2. the appropriate accompaniments; trimmings: turkey with all the fixings.
gold fixing.

Origin of fixing

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at fix, -ing1

fix

[fiks]

verb (used with object), fixed or fixt, fix·ing.

to repair; mend.
to put in order or in good condition; adjust or arrrange: She fixed her hair in a bun.
to make fast, firm, or stable.
to place definitely and more or less permanently: to fix a circus poster to a wall.
to settle definitely; determine: to fix a price.
to direct (the eyes, the attention, etc.) steadily: His eyes were fixed on the distant ship.
to attract and hold (the eye, the attention, etc.).
to make set or rigid.
to put into permanent form.
to put or place (responsibility, blame, etc.) on a person.
to assign or refer to a definite place, time, etc.
to provide or supply with (something needed or wanted): How are you fixed for money?
Informal. to arrange or influence the outcome or action of, especially privately or dishonestly: to fix a jury; to fix a game.
to get (a meal); prepare (food): What time shall I fix supper?
Informal. to put in a condition or position to make no further trouble.
Informal. to get even with; get revenge upon: I'll fix him!
Informal. to castrate or spay (an animal, especially a pet).
Chemistry.
  1. to make stable in consistency or condition; reduce from fluidity or volatility to a more stable state.
  2. to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a useful compound, as a nitrate fertilizer.
Photography. to render (an image) permanent by removing light-sensitive silver halides.
Microscopy. to kill, make rigid, and preserve for microscopic study.

verb (used without object), fixed or fixt, fix·ing.

to become fixed.
to become set; assume a rigid or solid form.
to become stable or permanent.
to settle down.
Slang. to inject oneself with a narcotic.
Chiefly Southern U.S. to prepare; plan (usually followed by an infinitive): I was just fixing to call you. We're fixing to go to Colorado this summer.

noun

Informal. a position from which it is difficult to escape; predicament.
Informal. a repair, adjustment, or solution, usually of an immediate nature: Can you think of a fix for the problem?
Navigation.
  1. a charted position of a vessel or aircraft, determined by two or more bearings taken on landmarks, heavenly bod-ies, etc.
  2. the determining of the position of a ship, plane, etc., by mathematical, electronic, or other means: The navigator took a fix on the sun and steered the ship due north.
a clear determination: Can you get a fix on what he really means?
Slang.
  1. an injection of heroin or other narcotic.
  2. the narcotic or amount of narcotic injected.
  3. a compulsively sought dose or infusion of something: to need one's daily fix of soap operas on TV.
Slang.
  1. an underhand or illegal arrangement, especially one secured through bribery or influence.
  2. a contest, situation, etc., whose outcome is prearranged dishonestly.

Verb Phrases

fix on/upon, to decide on; determine: We won't be able to fix on a location for the banquet until we know the number of guests.
fix up, Informal.
  1. to arrange for: to fix up a date.
  2. to provide with; furnish.
  3. to repair; renew.
  4. to smooth over; solve: They weren't able to fix up their differences.

Idioms

    fix one's wagon, Informal. to exact retribution for an offense; treat someone vengefully: I'll dock his pay and that will fix his wagon.
    in a fix, Older Slang. pregnant.

Origin of fix

1350–1400; 1900–05 for def 29; 1935–40 for def 31; Middle English fixen (v.) < Medieval Latin fixāre, derivative of Latin fixus fixed, past participle of fīgere to fasten
Related formsfix·a·ble, adjectivefix·a·bil·i·ty, nouno·ver·fix, verbre·fix, verb (used with object), re·fixed, re·fix·ing.un·fix·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for fix

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fix ON THESAURUS.COM
1. correct, amend. 3, 4. fasten, secure, stabilize. Fix, establish imply making firm or permanent. To fix is to fasten in position securely or to make more or less permanent against change, especially something already existing: to fix a bayonet on a gun; fix a principle in one's mind. To establish is to make firm or permanent something (usually newly) originated, created, or ordained: to establish a business, a claim to property. 5. establish, define. 27. dilemma, plight, quandary.

Usage note

Fix meaning “to repair” appears to have been used first in America, but it is long established and has been used in England since the early 19th century: The engineer quickly fixed the faulty valve. The verb use is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing, and objections to it on the grounds of style merely reflect personal prejudice, not the practice of educated speakers and writers. The noun fix meaning “repair, adjustment” is informal.
Fix ( to ) meaning “to prepare, plan (to)” is another Americanism: We're fixing to go to town. It once occurred in all the eastern coastal states, but it is now chiefly an informal spoken form in the South Midland and South.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fixing

mending, adjustment, adapting, ordering

Examples from the Web for fixing

Contemporary Examples of fixing

Historical Examples of fixing

British Dictionary definitions for fixing

fixing

noun

a means of attaching one thing to another, as a pipe to a wall, slate to a roof, etc

fix

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to make or become firm, stable, or secure
to attach or place permanentlyfix the mirror to the wall
(often foll by up) to settle definitely; decidelet us fix a date
to hold or direct (eyes, attention, etc) steadilyhe fixed his gaze on the woman
to call to attention or rivet
to make rigidto fix one's jaw
to place or ascribeto fix the blame on someone
to mend or repair
informal to provide withhow are you fixed for supplies?
informal to influence (a person, outcome of a contest, etc) unfairly, as by bribery
slang to take revenge on; get even with, esp by killing
informal to give (someone) his just desertsthat'll fix him
informal to arrange or put in orderto fix one's hair
informal to prepareto fix a meal
dialect, or informal to spay or castrate (an animal)
US dialect, or informal to prepare oneselfI'm fixing to go out
photog to treat (a film, plate, or paper) with fixer to make permanent the image rendered visible by developer
cytology to kill, preserve, and harden (tissue, cells, etc) for subsequent microscopic study
  1. to convert (atmospheric nitrogen) into nitrogen compounds, as in the manufacture of fertilizers or the action of bacteria in the soil
  2. to convert (carbon dioxide) into organic compounds, esp carbohydrates, as occurs in photosynthesis in plants and some microorganisms
to reduce (a substance) to a solid or condensed state or a less volatile state
(intr) slang to inject a drug

noun

informal a predicament; dilemma
the ascertaining of the navigational position, as of a ship, by radar, observation, etc
slang an intravenous injection of a drug, esp heroin
informal an act or instance of bribery
See also fix up
Derived Formsfixable, adjective

Word Origin for fix

C15: from Medieval Latin fixāre, from Latin fixus fixed, from Latin fīgere
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for fixing

fix

n.

"position from which it is difficult to move," 1809, American English, from fix (v.). Meaning "dose of narcotic" is from 1934, shortened from fix-up (1867, originally in reference to liquor).

fix

v.

late 14c., "set (one's eyes or mind) on something," probably from Old French *fixer, from fixe "fixed," from Latin fixus "fixed, fast, immovable, established, settled," past participle of figere "to fix, fasten," from PIE root *dhigw- "to stick, to fix."

Sense of "fasten, attach" is c.1400; that of "settle, assign" is pre-1500 and evolved into "adjust, arrange" (1660s), then "repair" (1737). Sense of "tamper with" (a fight, a jury, etc.) is 1790. As euphemism for "castrate a pet" it dates from 1930. Related: Fixed; fixedly (1590s); fixing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
fixing in Science

fix

[fĭks]

To convert inorganic carbon or nitrogen into stable, organic compounds that can be assimilated into organisms. Photosynthetic organisms such as green plants fix carbon in carbohydrates as food; certain bacteria fix nitrogen as ammonia that can be absorbed directly or through nitrification by plant roots. See more at carbon fixation nitrogen fixation.
To convert a substance, especially a gas, into solid or liquid form by chemical reactions.
To kill and preserve a tissue specimen rapidly to retain as nearly as possible the characteristics it had in the living body.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with fixing

fix

In addition to the idioms beginning with fix

  • fix someone's wagon
  • fix up

also see:

  • get a fix
  • get a fix on
  • if it ain't broke don't fix it
  • in a fix
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.