fix
Americanverb (used with object)
-
fixes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fixed,
past participle, past
-
fixt,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
fixing
present participle
-
to repair; mend.
-
to put in order or in good condition; adjust or arrange.
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.
-
to make stable in consistency or condition; reduce from fluidity or volatility to a more stable state.
-
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)
-
fixes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fixed,
past participle, past
-
fixt,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
fixing
present participle
-
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
-
fixes
plural
-
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.
-
a charted position of a vessel or aircraft, determined by two or more bearings taken on landmarks, heavenly bod-ies, etc.
-
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.
-
an injection of heroin or other narcotic.
-
the narcotic or amount of narcotic injected.
-
a compulsively sought dose or infusion of something.
to need one's daily fix of soap operas on TV.
-
-
Slang.
-
an underhand or illegal arrangement, especially one secured through bribery or influence.
-
a contest, situation, etc., whose outcome is prearranged dishonestly.
-
verb phrase
-
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
-
to arrange for.
to fix up a date.
-
to provide with; furnish.
-
to repair; renew.
-
to smooth over; solve.
They weren't able to fix up their differences.
-
idioms
-
fix one's wagon, to exact retribution for an offense; treat someone vengefully.
I'll dock his pay and that will fix his wagon.
-
in a fix, pregnant.
verb
-
(also intr) to make or become firm, stable, or secure
-
to attach or place permanently
fix the mirror to the wall
-
(often foll by up) to settle definitely; decide
let us fix a date
-
to hold or direct (eyes, attention, etc) steadily
he fixed his gaze on the woman
-
to call to attention or rivet
-
to make rigid
to fix one's jaw
-
to place or ascribe
to fix the blame on someone
-
to mend or repair
-
informal to provide with
how 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 deserts
that'll fix him
-
informal to arrange or put in order
to fix one's hair
-
informal to prepare
to fix a meal
-
dialect to spay or castrate (an animal)
-
dialect to prepare oneself
I'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
-
-
to convert (atmospheric nitrogen) into nitrogen compounds, as in the manufacture of fertilizers or the action of bacteria in the soil
-
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
-
slang (intr) 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
-
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.
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fixsimple
-
fixessimple
-
have fixedperfect
-
have fixtperfect
-
has fixedperfect
-
has fixtperfect
-
am fixingprogressive
-
are fixingprogressive
-
is fixingprogressive
-
have been fixingperfect progressive
-
has been fixingperfect progressive
Past
-
fixedsimple
-
fixtsimple
-
had fixedperfect
-
had fixtperfect
-
was fixingprogressive
-
were fixingprogressive
-
had been fixingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fix
First recorded in 1350–1400; (verb) Middle English fixen, from Middle French fixer or Medieval Latin fixāre, derivative of Latin fixus “fixed,” past participle of fīgere “to fasten”
Vocabulary lists containing fix
"Ain't I a Woman?"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 3, Small-Group Learning
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Still, there’s much more about Social Security reform to discuss, and more conversations to be had in Congress to find a fix to the program’s financial woes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
The control centre "had more than enough time to verify the error, and they did not fix it", he added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
The National Security Agency issued an emergency alert urging businesses to fix these vulnerabilities immediately—or take their sites offline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Our approach is to listen to those who live and work in a neighborhood, then use every tool the city has to fix what they’ve told us is broken,” Stahl said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
“I always have to fix everyone else’s mistakes.”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"This new dataset fixes coordinate errors in previous Earth rotation studies. Additionally, it improves the accuracy of dating and reconstructing historical astronomical events," said coauthor Mitsuru Sôma of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the chages part of a series of "everyday fixes" to ease cost of living pressures on households.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
He said in total there have been 66 fixes at oil and gas sites across the U.S. in the past year, and another 60 leaks under investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Once the incentive to do so was in place, the companies supplied technical fixes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
He fixes me with an odd, startled look.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
This less fixed style is more difficult to analyse from the outside looking in, which can result in misunderstanding his work entirely.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The company said it had fixed the issue, referred the matter to law enforcement and was working to bring the platform back online, adding that "anyone who has been impacted will be made whole."
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Get today’s cash price, the fixed price for the season and a capped price.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
“All in all, I would say the market is taking this as less likelihood of aggressive hiking,” said Anders Persson, chief investment officer and head of global fixed income at Nuveen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The social worker steepled his fingers and fixed the boy with a stare.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
That Τριχῇ διάστατον ἀντίτυπον is nothing but a fixt spirit, the conspissation or coagulation of the Cuspidall particles of the Cone, which are indeed the Centrall Tasis or inward essence of the sensible world.
From Democritus Platonissans by Henry More
Rapt in wonder, he gazed "up to the fixt stars, that radiant numberless host of heaven."
From Benjamin Franklin Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes by Chester E. Jorgenson
All these I saw at a glance; but what fixt my attention was the expression of goodness, nobleness, and power that pervaded the whole—the truly human heart and nature that shone in the eyes.
From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. X (of X) - America - II, Index by Henry Cabot Lodge
While Scott was reading, the sage grimalkin already mentioned had taken his seat in a chair beside the fire, and remained with fixt eye and grave demeanor, as if listening to the reader.
From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. IX (of X) - America - I by Henry Cabot Lodge
This is the fixt Nature of Pleasure and Pain, and will always be found to be so by those who examine it.
From Benjamin Franklin Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes by Chester E. Jorgenson
While welcoming the move on standing charges, Dawn says ministers had been "trying to put sticking plasters over gaping wounds", which were "not fixing the problems".
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
When Donnelly started her television career in England, she got into the habit of buying homes, living in them and then fixing them up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
They include the hassles of fixing a change machine, the reckless drivers he encounters during his pickup-and-delivery service and the endless struggle to find detergent bottles small enough to fit into his vending machine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
He bought the vehicle on the cheap with the intention of fixing it up himself.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
We got an old table for fixing a brush rake.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
