fixture

American  

[fiks-cher] / ˈfɪks tʃər /

noun

1. something securely, and usually permanently, attached or appended, as to a house, apartment building, etc..

   a light fixture; kitchen fixtures.

2. a person or thing long established in the same place or position.

3. Machinery.

   1. any of various devices for holding work in a machine tool, especially one for machining in a straight line, as in a planer or milling machine.

   2. any of various devices for holding parts in certain positions during welding, assembly, etc.

4. Law. a movable chattel, as a machine or heating plant, that, by reason of annexation to real property and adaptation to continuing use in connection with the realty, is considered a part of the realty.

5. Fox Hunting. one of a series of meets scheduled by a hunt to take place at a time and location listed on a card fixturecard that is sent, usually once a month, to each member of a hunt.

6. the act of fixing.

7. British. an event that takes place regularly.

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fixture British  

/ ˈfɪkstʃə /

noun

1. an object firmly fixed in place, esp a household appliance

2. a person or thing regarded as fixed in a particular place or position

3. property law an article attached to land and regarded as part of it

4. a device to secure a workpiece in a machine tool

5. 1. a sports match or social occasion

   2. the date of such an event

6. rare the act of fixing

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Other Word Forms

• fixtureless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fixture

1590–1600; variant of obsolete fixure (< Late Latin fixūra; see fix, -ure), with -t- from mixture

Explanation

A fixture is something that is stuck or "fixed" somewhere, like the plumbing fixtures in your bathroom or the guy who is a fixture in this favorite diner, always sitting in the third booth from the door. When a house is for sale, it's generally assumed that the fixtures — the kitchen sink, the fireplace, or a ceiling fan — are included with the house. Fixtures tend to be the objects that are fixed, or securely fastened, in place. A regular patron or customer can also be called a fixture, like the fixtures at the local diner who never fail to show up for the early bird special. Fixture, modeled after mixture, comes from the Latin root fixus, "immovable, established, or settled."

Example Sentences

That model has been a fixture of American television since the late 1940s.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

The coaching staff are specifically conducting training with the idea of playing Saints, while also trying to stop the players from becoming distracted by the conjecture around the fixture.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Despite his part-time status, Griffin is a fixture in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

If she succeeds on Saturday, it would be a first for Australia - who joined the contest as a one-off wild card entry in 2015 but quickly became a permanent fixture.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

Although Apá is only physically present most of the time, like some sort of household fixture, I can’t imagine what it would be like to live without him.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

Related Words

• accessory
• component
• device
• equipment