attach

verb at·tach \ ə-ˈtach \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: attach in a Sentence

Definition of attach

attached; attaching; attaches

transitive verb

1 : to take by legal authority especially under a writ

attached the property

2 a : 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

—

attachable

play \ə-ˈta-chə-bəl\ adjective

See attach defined for English-language learners

See attach defined for kids

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 of attach from the Web

On Monday, Hagen's father was seen hauling boxes from her house into a moving trailer attached to a vehicle with California license plates.

— brad schmidt, OregonLive.com, "Oregon failed to identify day care owner's checkered past before new allegations," 6 June 2018
The dashcam video attached to the post shows the vehicle ahead of a squad car swerve to avoid the object the police were called to come move.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Woman was asleep in the road. Texas cop was 'in the wrong place at the right time,' dashcam shows," 5 June 2018
Elsewhere in Kabul, three civilians, including a woman, were wounded when a sticky bomb attached to their car went off in the Koti Sangi area on Monday, said Hashmat Stanezai, spokesman for the Kabul police chief.

— rahim faiez and amir shah, Fox News, "Suicide bombing targets gathering of clerics in Afghanistan, killing 7," 4 June 2018
Those not born with an Apple product attached to their thumbs might recognize his inspiration as the grandfather of the rotary dial.

— darryl levings, kansascity, "Kansas City has been dialed in to telephone innovations from the very beginning," 2 June 2018
The stigma attaching to the Godwins ruined the prospects of Mary’s half-sister Fanny, who took a fatal overdose of laudanum in October 1816.

— elizabeth lowry, WSJ, "The Mother of Frankenstein," 1 June 2018
Each of the wind farm’s turbines climb 262 feet in height, with blades attached to rotors that stretch to a diameter of 351 feet.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tule Wind Project back up after being offline for more than 5 weeks," 1 June 2018
The main intangible attached to the regional goes back to the whole empty/full glass thing.

— randy rosetta, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville baseball faces challenge of playing away for NCAA tourney," 31 May 2018
Shapoor Ahmadzai, a spokesman for Logar Provincial Police, said Nabi, a prominent tribal elder in the province, had been killed by a bomb attached to the underside of his car Friday.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Flattery of Trump turns fatal in Afghanistan," 29 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of attach

Middle English, from Anglo-French attacher, alteration of Old French estachier, from estache stake, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English staca stake

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

attach Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

ATTACH Defined for English Language Learners

attach

verb

Definition of attach for English Language Learners

: to fasten or join one thing to another
: to be or become joined or connected
: to associate or connect one thing with another

ATTACH Defined for Kids

attach

verb at·tach \ ə-ˈtach \

Definition of attach for Students

attached; attaching

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.

Law Dictionary

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 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

—

attachable

adjective

—

attachment

noun

Origin and Etymology of attach

Anglo-French attacher to lodge (an action in court), seize (a person or property) by legal authority, from Old French atachier to fasten, fix, alteration of estachier, from estache stake