attach

[ uh-tach ]

/ əˈtætʃ /

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See synonyms for: attach / attached / attaches / attaching on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to fasten or affix; join; connect: to attach a photograph to an application with a staple.

to join in action or function; make part of: to attach oneself to a group.

Military. to place on temporary duty with or in assistance to a military unit.

to include as a quality or condition of something: One proviso is attached to this legacy.

to assign or attribute: to attach significance to a gesture.

to bind by ties of affection or regard: You always attach yourself to people who end up hurting you.

Law. to take (persons or property) by legal authority.

Obsolete. to lay hold of; seize.

verb (used without object)

to adhere; pertain; belong (usually followed by to or upon): No blame attaches to him.

OTHER WORDS FOR attach

1 subjoin, append, add, annex.

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OPPOSITES FOR attach

1 detach.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of attach

1300–50; Middle English atachen<Anglo-French atacher to seize, Old French atachier to fasten, alteration of estachier to fasten with or to a stake, equivalent to estach(e) (<Germanic *stakkastake¹) + -ier infinitive suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM attach

at·tach·a·ble, adjectiveat·tach·er, nounre·at·tach, verbre·at·tach·a·ble, adjective

un·at·tach·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH attach

attach , attaché

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use attach in a sentence

He sorted and arranged the varied contents, and with a screwdriver and a longer screw reattached the button.
Jerry of the Islands|Jack London
When they had made everything strong and secure, they went to the top of the comb and reattached it to the ceiling of the hive.
The Dawn of Reason|James Weir
With admirable agility the tinker reattached the limb, and the pedlar went on his way rejoicing.
The Gypsy's Parson|George Hall
It felt like I'd amputated part of myself and it had been reattached.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow

Rightly translated, it is: “Also when he desired the bonnet-sail to be reattached to the sail, he showed three fires.”
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522|Antonio Pigafetta

British Dictionary definitions for attach

attach

/ (əˈtætʃ) /

verb (mainly tr)

to join, fasten, or connect

(reflexive or passive) to become associated with or join, as in a business or other venturehe attached himself to the expedition

(intr foll by to) to be inherent (in) or connected (with)responsibility attaches to the job

to attribute or ascribeto attach importance to an event

to include or append, esp as a conditiona proviso is attached to the contract

(usually passive) military to place on temporary duty with another unit

(usually passive) to put (a member of an organization) to work in a different unit or agency, either with an expectation of reverting to, or while retaining some part of, the original working arrangement

to appoint officially

law to arrest or take (a person, property, etc) with lawful authority

obsolete to seize

Derived forms of attach

attachable, adjectiveattacher, noun

Word Origin for attach

C14: from Old French atachier to fasten, changed from estachier to fasten with a stake, from estache stake 1

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with attach

attach

see no strings attached.

attach

OTHER WORDS FOR attach

OPPOSITES FOR attach

Origin of attach

OTHER WORDS FROM attach

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH attach

Words related to attach

How to use attach in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for attach

Derived forms of attach

Word Origin for attach

Other Idioms and Phrases with attach