attach
Americanverb (used with object)
-
attaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
attached,
past participle, past
-
attaching
present participle
-
to fasten or affix; join; connect.
to attach a photograph to an application with a staple.
- Antonyms:
- detach
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to join in action or function; make part of.
to attach oneself to a group.
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Military. to place on temporary duty with or in assistance to a military unit.
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to include as a quality or condition of something.
One proviso is attached to this legacy.
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to assign or attribute.
to attach significance to a gesture.
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to bind by ties of affection or regard.
You always attach yourself to people who end up hurting you.
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Law. to take (persons or property) by legal authority.
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Obsolete. to lay hold of; seize.
verb (used without object)
-
attaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
attached,
past participle, past
-
attaching
present participle
verb
-
to join, fasten, or connect
-
(reflexive or passive) to become associated with or join, as in a business or other venture
he attached himself to the expedition
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to be inherent (in) or connected (with)
responsibility attaches to the job
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to attribute or ascribe
to attach importance to an event
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to include or append, esp as a condition
a proviso is attached to the contract
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(usually passive) military to place on temporary duty with another unit
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(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
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to appoint officially
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law to arrest or take (a person, property, etc) with lawful authority
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obsolete to seize
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attachsimple
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attachessimple
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have attachedperfect
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has attachedperfect
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am attachingprogressive
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are attachingprogressive
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is attachingprogressive
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have been attachingperfect progressive
-
has been attachingperfect progressive
Past
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attachedsimple
-
had attachedperfect
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was attachingprogressive
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were attachingprogressive
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had been attachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of attach
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English atachen, from Anglo-French atacher “to seize,” Old French atachier “to fasten,” alteration of estachier “to fasten with or to a stake,” from estach(e), from Frankish stakka “stake”; cf. stake 1
Explanation
Use the verb attach when you need to join things together, like a stamp that you attach to a letter. When you attach something, you join it or tie it to something else. The word can be used to show physically joining things, like a printer that you attach to your computer, or to show a strong personal connection. For example, you can attach yourself to a political cause or to a group of friends.
Vocabulary lists containing attach
"Hitching a Ride"
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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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:
The researchers wanted to know whether E-cadherin and its partners were attaching to the dying cell in the same way they normally attach neighboring epithelial cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026
Marvell refers to its custom chips as XPUs, and to the components that support them in data centers — such as networking and storage controllers — as XPU attach.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
When users record something using a device with ProofMode, it can attach information which helps verify elements such as when it was recorded and whether the file has been altered since.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
That same box, lovingly referred to as “the stocks,” is also used to attach the handlesticks to Gardner’s body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
She moved forward for a moment, as though to attach the girl in some way, and then stopped.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“I’m very concerned about the possible corrosion, specifically rust, of all the hardware that holds the bridge together and that attaches the cables,” one participant said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Hormone levels were measured every 20 minutes using a lightweight wearable device about the size of a mobile phone that attaches at the waist.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
But he now attaches a condition to that advice.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
He attaches clippings of or links to fawning newspaper profiles and columns, but not to stories about what was happening in the civilian population of his country as it went through a crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
I blurt out as she attaches an electrode to my forehead.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Art of Play has defended how it treated the star on social media, saying the wooden bird - which is called Molly - is permanently attached to the wall and is not for sale.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale,” Art of Play wrote in its post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Archaeologists have discovered traces of it at numerous Neanderthal sites across Europe, often still attached to ancient stone tools.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
They looked like tiny illustrations of fish pulled from the label of a particularly fancy tin of sardines, with hooks attached.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
He reached into it and took out a bright blue ribbon with a badge attached to it.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
In this role, the lawsuit said, she was responsible for originating and developing projects, attaching filmmakers, assembling financing and producing films from preproduction through delivery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Department of Transportation attaching itself to a series paid for by companies it regulates, including United Airlines, Chase Travel, Toyota, Boeing and Royal Caribbean.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Blossom said she had been searching for Fargo's owners, attaching a paper collar to him.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
It is now considering attaching a $100,000 price tag on international students’ ability to work in the U.S. after they graduate from an American university, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The men arranged themselves before the conveyor belt and each was responsible for attaching his assigned component to the shape moving down the line.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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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.
