Synonym Chooser

How is the word fasten distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of fasten are affix, attach, and fix. While all these words 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

When is it sensible to use affix instead of fasten?

In some situations, the words affix and fasten are roughly equivalent. However, affix implies an imposing of one thing on another by gluing, impressing, or nailing.

affix your address label here

When could attach be used to replace fasten?

Although the words attach and fasten have much in common, attach suggests a connecting or uniting by a bond, link, or tie in order to keep things together.

attach the W-2 form here

When can fix be used instead of fasten?

While the synonyms fix and fasten are close in meaning, fix usually implies a driving in, implanting, or embedding.

fixed the stake in the ground

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fasten But as the chase goes on, Mari takes off many of her layers, including her footwear; she’s left in just the nightie and Jackie’s necklace, which Shauna had fastened around her neck moments before. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025 This dog carrier can fasten to the front of your bike quickly and easily with its buckle design. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025 How to fix cable connection issues Check all cables and cords to make sure they are fastened properly. Kara McGinley, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025 Ramps, sometimes called wild garlic or spring onions, have two, flat, broad green leaves about 10 inches tall, beneath which are white stalks fastened to small light-colored bulbs under the soil. Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fasten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fasten
Verb
  • The creator replaced it with a nearly identical bronze statue shortly after, but moved its location to private property nearby and attached it to concrete and metal rods.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
  • The attorney will take point dealing with all the legalities attached to the accident and will deal directly with the other driver’s insurance.
    LyssaNoel Frater, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • Beta Cinema has secured international sales rights for historical drama Each of Us, which follows four inmates at the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp during the final days of World War Two.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 May 2025
  • Anthony Edwards and the Wolves are just one win away from securing some rest ahead of the Western Conference Finals after taking down the Lakers in five, though their success against the Warriors sans Stephen Curry does come with a caveat.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Federal funding cuts to community groups that support apprenticeship programs for women, including those focused on anti-harassment training and transportation assistance, have created uncertainty for organizations like Chicago Women in Trades.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
  • On Monday evening, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to rule out the possibility of discussions on the water treaty, saying any talks with Pakistan would focus only on Kashmir and terrorism.
    Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • But in recent weeks, sometime after March, a series of ornate gold medallions—originally affixed to the ceiling cornice—have started to appear elsewhere in the room, as if the unique piece of decor were multiplying itself.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
  • That’s because the standard EEG typically uses 21 of them, affixed to the scalp in strategic positions to capture activity from various brain regions.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 May 2025
Verb
  • Stimson worked quickly, cutting across the tissue of the thigh and clamping bleeding vessels along the way.
    Catherine Musemeche, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Begin by clamping at the root and work your way down the hair shaft in one-to-two-inch sections, holding each for just a few seconds, to achieve the look.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • However, after concentrating on attacking areas in last summer’s big splash on nine new signings, an injection of pace at the other end will assist Hurzeler’s desire to defend with a high line.
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 2 May 2025
  • Instead of concentrating solely on strategies to achieve your goals, focus on what your ideal mental space will look like when these changes occur.
    Essence, Essence, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • The Waters/Agassi partnership ground out rallies but the teenagers persevered and tied the match.
    Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
  • On the opposing side stands Ground Game LA, a scrappy advocacy group whose ascent has been inextricably tied to the leftward shift in the city’s political power structure.
    Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • As flames advanced toward the Tel Aviv-to-Jerusalem highway, many people abandoned their cars and fled on foot or hitched rides with other vehicles heading in the opposite direction.
    Ibrahim Hazboun and Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • But perhaps the most serious rebuke to the liberal international order has come from inside the democracies, where populist parties have hitched economic grievances, anti-immigrant sentiments, and the loss of faith in their own elites and institutions to an authoritarian domestic turn.
    Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fasten. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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