attach

verb

at·tach | \ ə-ˈtach

attached; attaching; attaches

Definition of attach

transitive verb

1 : to take by legal authority especially under a writ attached the property

2a : to bring (oneself) into an association attached herself to their cause

b : to assign (an individual or unit in the military) temporarily

3 : to bind by personal ties (as of affection or sympathy) was strongly attached to his family

4 : to make fast (as by tying or gluing) attach a label to a package

5 : to associate especially as a property or an attribute : ascribe attached great importance to public opinion polls

6 : to include and send (a separate document or file) with an electronic message (such as an e-mail or text message) Unlike … some other social networking hubs, Beejive allows you to attach photos or videos to a message, or download files from messages, just as you would via e-mail.— Bob Tedeschi

intransitive verb

: to become attached : adhere

Other Words from attach Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about attach

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for attach

Synonyms

affix, bend, fasten, fix

Antonyms

detach, undo, unfasten, unhook

Choose the Right Synonym for attach

fasten, fix, attach, affix mean to make something stay firmly in place. fasten implies an action such as tying, buttoning, nailing, locking, or otherwise securing. fasten the reins to a post fix usually implies a driving in, implanting, or embedding. fixed the stake in the ground attach suggests a connecting or uniting by a bond, link, or tie in order to keep things together. attach the W-2 form here affix implies an imposing of one thing on another by gluing, impressing, or nailing. affix your address label here

Examples of attach in a Sentence

I've attached an application to the brochure for you. She attached a note to the package. I attached the file to the e-mail. The handle attaches here on the top.

Recent Examples on the Web

Conversations that normalize mental health issues and help do away with the stigmas attached to them are always important—not fodder for jokes. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Sophie Turner Totally Shut Down Piers Morgan Over His Tweets About Mental Health," 9 Jan. 2019 Baz Dreisinger, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said felons have few options after leaving prison because of the stigma attached to their convictions. — Zolan Kanno-youngs, WSJ, "‘I Thought I Was Done For’: Tight Job Market Opens Doors for Ex-Convicts," 19 Dec. 2018 If anything, given the marginal value of the 10 billionth dollar to somebody, the lower subsidy rate should seem to attach to the wealthier person rather than the reverse. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "The case against billionaire philanthropy," 17 Dec. 2018 That has been the stigma attached to the Pac-12 over the past few years, which was intensified by the Huskies’ 24-7 loss to Alabama two years ago. — Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times, "Despite taking a stinging one-two punch, Huskies’ hopes haven’t hit the canvas," 3 Sep. 2018 But there's always been a stigma attached to it, so people sort of suppress it. — Fox News, "Rick Harrison opens up about his journey to 'Pawn Stars'," 6 Aug. 2018 That’s one of the real tragedies — that the stigma attached to the acknowledgment of suicidal thoughts could prevent someone from raising a hand and getting help, fast. — Steven Petrow, Washington Post, "I wasn’t suicidal, until suddenly, terrifyingly I was," 23 June 2018 By attaching courier bags, the Segway promised to reduce physical strains associated with lugging sacks of mail while increasing the rate of delivery. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "12 Geeky Ways to Deliver Mail: U.S. Postal Service Technology Through the Ages," 18 Jan. 2019 The company sells entire 3D printers (starting at $199) or extrusion kits (starting at $39) that allows the nozzle to be attached to an existing 3D printer. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "New 3D printer takes the mess out of ceramics," 11 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attach.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about attach

Dictionary Entries near attach

Statistics for attach

Last Updated

17 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for attach

The first known use of attach was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for attach

attach

verb

English Language Learners Definition of attach

: to fasten or join one thing to another

: to be or become joined or connected

: to associate or connect one thing with another

See the full definition for attach in the English Language Learners Dictionary

attach

verb

at·tach | \ ə-ˈtach

attached; attaching

Kids Definition of attach

1 : to fasten or join one thing to another The boy attached a bell to his bicycle.

2 : to bind by feelings of affection … Marty's got awful attached to that dog …— Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Shiloh

3 : to think of as belonging to something Attach no importance to his remark.

attach

verb

at·tach

Legal Definition of attach

transitive verb

1 : to obtain a court order against (property of another person) that directs an officer of the court (as a sheriff) to seize or take control of the property — compare garnish, levy

Note: A plaintiff may attach a defendant's property as a way of obtaining jurisdiction for the purpose of bringing a lawsuit or to prevent the defendant from getting rid of property that may be needed to pay a judgment to the plaintiff.

2 : to join or make a part of affidavits attached to the suit— Rosalind Resnick

3 : to create a security interest in (property) and so acquire the right to foreclose on or otherwise deal with property for payment of a debt and to exercise one's rights in the property against third parties — see also security interest at interest sense 1 — compare perfect

intransitive verb

: to become effective: as

a : to come into existence as a security interest from the date the interest attaches

b : to become operative especially as a right the right to counsel attaches only at or after the initiation of adversary judicial proceedings — United States v. Gouveia, 467 U.S. 180 (1984) — see also jeopardy