attach

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as in to confiscate
to take ownership or control of (something) by right of one's authority attached the house for nonpayment of property taxes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word attach distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of attach are affix, fasten, and fix. While all these words mean "to make something stay firmly in place," 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 could affix be used to replace attach?

The words affix and attach can be used in similar contexts, but affix implies an imposing of one thing on another by gluing, impressing, or nailing.

affix your address label here

Where would fasten be a reasonable alternative to attach?

In some situations, the words fasten and attach are roughly equivalent. However, 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 fix instead of attach?

The synonyms fix and attach are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 attach The ThinkBook 14 is a compact productivity portable with the excellent keyboard, touchpad and the Lenovo Active Pen, a two-button stylus that attaches magnetically to the laptop. K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 May 2025 After taking an emotional journey with Joel and Ellie, fans had grown attached to the duo. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025 This stick was attached to a cord to tie around the body and was hollow so that warm water could be poured through to evoke ejaculation. Mikelle Street, Them., 23 May 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for attach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attach
Verb
  • The traditional ceremony, where the final steel beam with an evergreen tree affixed to it is placed on the structure, marks a milestone in the construction process.
    Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2025
  • Theft of motor vehicle parts or accessories (subset of larceny) – The unlawful taking of any part or accessory affixed to the interior or exterior of a motor vehicle in a manner which would make the item an attachment of the vehicle or necessary for its operation.
    Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • Later, as mayor, Giuliani appointed him to head the New York City Department of Corrections in 1998.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2025
  • He was then appointed Juventus head coach in the summer of 2014, replacing Antonio Conte, and winning the Italian top-flight in each of his five seasons in charge between 2014-15 and 2018-19, while also reaching the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • Provincial Police confiscated the 1964 Iso Rivolta Grifo A3 Stradale, entered in the Concorso by Thomas Shannon, after allegedly stopping its American driver on the streets of Cernobbio without an International Driving Permit.
    Michael Taylor, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • Police confiscated guns, heroin, cocaine and $19,000 in cash when executing a search warrant.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Individuals and teams are nominated via an online application.
    Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
  • She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for Gone Girl in 2014, and received a nomination for a BAFTA Award for 2024’s Saltburn.
    Caroline Frost, Deadline, 25 May 2025
Verb
  • Deputy Prosecutors Tim Brown and Lindsey Lanham were assigned.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
  • When fully staffed, a forecast office typically assigns rotating shifts to 12 or 15 operational workers in order to cover a complete 24-hour schedule.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • Nothing provided on this site constitutes tax advice.
    Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
  • Even as the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Redstone that any deal with Trump could constitute a violation of federal bribery laws, some CBS News staffers took McMahon’s exit as a sign that a settlement could be imminent.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • In spite of its phonetics, apparently the term is not Yiddish, but a neologism declared by a French writer of comedic phantasms to be German and intended to designate an absurd, unfathomable object that can serve all kinds of purposes.
    Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • Right Now Each committee designates a rapporteur to lead the drafting.
    Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • President Donald Trump's former lawyer Jay Sekulow has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging that the defendants misled the police in the 2022 murder investigation of an employee of Sekulow's.
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
  • It’s even named after his childhood nickname, Kurky.
    Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Attach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attach. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on attach

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