attach

[uh-tach]

verb (used with object)

1. to fasten or affix; join; connect.

   to attach a photograph to an application with a staple.

   Synonyms: annex, add, append, subjoin
   Antonyms: detach

2. to join in action or function; make part of.

   to attach oneself to a group.

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

4. to include as a quality or condition of something.

   One proviso is attached to this legacy.

5. to assign or attribute.

   to attach significance to a gesture.

6. to bind by ties of affection or regard.

   You always attach yourself to people who end up hurting you.

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

8. Obsolete.,  to lay hold of; seize.

verb (used without object)

1. to adhere; pertain; belong (usually followed by to orupon ).

   No blame attaches to him.

attach

/ əˈtætʃ /

verb

1. to join, fasten, or connect

2. (reflexive or passive) to become associated with or join, as in a business or other venture

   he attached himself to the expedition

3. to be inherent (in) or connected (with)

   responsibility attaches to the job

4. to attribute or ascribe

   to attach importance to an event

5. to include or append, esp as a condition

   a proviso is attached to the contract

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

7. (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

8. to appoint officially

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

10. obsolete,  to seize

Other Word Forms

• attachable adjective
• attacher noun
• reattach verb
• reattachable adjective
• unattachable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of attach¹

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”; stake ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of attach¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see no strings attached.

Example Sentences

The two carriages on the Glória route are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is pulled by electric motors.

From BBC

Also, since the foetuses were attached to organs like the liver, kidneys and the intestines, they had to be extracted with great care so that no organs or blood vessels were damaged.

From BBC

Over the last six years of recovery, I’ve learned how to take full accountability for my own life, how to self-soothe, and how to become securely attached to myself.

From Los Angeles Times

They are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable meaning that as one travels downhill, its weight lifts the other, allowing them to ascend and descend simultaneously.

From BBC

Fraudsters attach a physical device to a contactless payment reader on a parking machine and when you try to pay, the machine displays a "card declined" message.

From BBC

Related Words

• add 
• adhere 
• affix 
• connect 
• fix 
• hook up 
• link 
• secure 
• stick 
• tie