attach

attach — verb

1. to fix one object onto another so that the two stay together, using something li

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to fix one object onto another so that the two stay together, using something like glue, tape, a pin, or a screw.

Example

Mira used a small pin to attach a yellow ribbon to her jacket.

pattern: attach + object + to + surface

Please attach the price tag to the back of each shirt before the sale.

Common collocations
  • attach firmly
  • attach securely
  • attach a label
  • attach a tag
  • attach a sticker
Synonyms
  • fasten

    very close in meaning; suggests a mechanism like a clip or button

  • fix

    more permanent; common in British English

  • stick

    informal; usually with glue or tape

Antonyms
  • detach

    direct opposite — to remove something that is fixed

  • remove

    more general

Grammar Patterns

attach + something + to + something

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person or tool, and the object is something small or movable being fixed onto a larger surface. Frequently passive when describing how things are already fixed.

Common Mistakes

I attached the poster on the wall.
I attached the poster to the wall.
the preposition is 'to', not 'on'.
She attached the button.
She attached the button to the shirt.
this sense usually needs both items mentioned.

2. to add a file, photo, or document to an email or message so the person receiving

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to add a file, photo, or document to an email or message so the person receiving it can open and read it on their device.

Example

Lior forgot to attach the report and had to send a second email apologising.

common workplace scenario

Please attach a copy of your passport to the application email.

pattern: attach + document + to + email

Common collocations
  • attach a file
  • attach a document
  • attach a photo
  • please find attached
Synonyms
  • enclose

    more formal; also used for physical letters

  • include

    more general; works for any kind of content

  • send along

    informal phrasal verb

Grammar Patterns

attach + file + to + email/message

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is digital and the object is always a file or document, never a physical thing. The recipient is named with 'to' (the email or message), not 'in' or 'on'.

Common Mistakes

I attached the file in the email.
I attached the file to the email.
use 'to' for the destination message.
Please find attach my CV.
Please find attached my CV.
fixed phrase needs the past participle 'attached'.

3. to decide that something has a certain level of importance, value, or meaning —

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to decide that something has a certain level of importance, value, or meaning — for example, saying that a country sees education as central, or that a judge does not believe a witness's words count for much.

Example

The Watanabe family attached great importance to honesty when raising their children.

pattern: attach + importance + to + abstract noun

Voters in this town attach more value to local jobs than to national politics.

comparative use of 'more value to'

Common collocations
  • attach importance to
  • attach significance to
  • attach value to
  • attach blame to
  • attach no weight to
Synonyms
  • ascribe

    more formal; often used in academic or legal writing

  • place

    as in 'place importance on'; uses 'on' instead of 'to'

  • give

    as in 'give weight to'; more everyday

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

attach + importance/value/significance/weight + to + something

Usage Note

The object slot is restricted to abstract nouns of evaluation: importance, value, significance, meaning, weight, blame. Distinguish from sense 1 — this is mental, not physical, and the 'thing attached' is a quality, not a label.

Common Mistakes

He attaches the importance on family.
He attaches importance to family.
no article 'the', and the preposition is 'to'.
She attached meaning at his words.
She attached meaning to his words.
preposition must be 'to'.

4. to start spending time with another person or group and stay close to them, ofte

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to start spending time with another person or group and stay close to them, often without being asked or wanted by the others.

Example

A talkative stranger attached himself to our group and followed us from bar to bar.

reflexive pattern: attach oneself to + group

Diego attached himself to the older boys at summer camp, copying everything they did.

younger person joining older group

Common collocations
  • attach oneself to a group
  • attach oneself to a person
  • attach oneself to the team
Synonyms
  • tag along

    informal phrasal verb; less negative

  • latch on to

    stronger; suggests holding on persistently

  • join

    neutral; doesn't carry the 'uninvited' nuance

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

attach + oneself + to + person/group

Usage Note

Always reflexive — use 'attach oneself to', never the simple 'attach to' for this meaning. The tone often suggests the joining is unwanted, persistent, or a little awkward, though it can be neutral.

Common Mistakes

He attached to our group at the party.
He attached himself to our group at the party.
this sense always needs the reflexive pronoun.
She attached herself with our team.
She attached herself to our team.
the preposition is 'to', not 'with'.

5. for a court or other authority to take control of a person's money, salary, or p

5.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

for a court or other authority to take control of a person's money, salary, or property, normally because that person owes a debt and has not paid it.

Example

The court attached Mr. Lopez's wages until the unpaid child support was fully cleared.

pattern: court attaches wages

Sheriffs arrived at dawn to attach the company's bank accounts on behalf of the creditors.

subject: officer of the court

Common collocations
  • attach wages
  • attach property
  • attach assets
  • attach a bank account
  • attach goods
Synonyms
  • seize

    more general; covers any forceful taking

  • garnish

    specifically used for wages or bank funds

  • confiscate

    official taking, often as a penalty

Antonyms
  • release

    let go of seized money or property

  • return

    give back what was taken

Grammar Patterns

attach + property/wages/assets

Usage Note

Specialised legal use. Subject is almost always a court, judge, or other official body; the object is money, wages, assets, or goods. Distinguish from sense 1 — no physical fastening is involved; this is a legal action.

Common Mistakes

The bank attached his money for the loan.
The court attached his money to repay the loan.
needs a legal authority as subject, not an ordinary creditor.
The judge attached on his property.
The judge attached his property.
this verb takes a direct object; no preposition needed.

Word family

  • attached
    adjectiveB2
  • attachment
    nounB1
  • detach
    verbC1
  • detached
    adjectiveB2
  • detachment
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe joining one thing to another, but each suggests a different method and feel. 'Attach' is the most neutral and works for almost any way of joining — a clip, a screw, glue, even rope. 'Fasten' suggests a mechanism like a button, zip, or buckle; you fasten a seatbelt, not attach one. 'Fix' implies a more permanent join and is preferred in British English (fix a shelf to the wall). 'Stick' is informal and almost always involves glue or tape — you stick a poster on a wall. 'Connect' usually means joining two things so they work together as a system, especially with cables or pipes. Compare: 'attach a label to a suitcase' (any method), 'fasten your jacket' (using buttons/zip), 'fix a mirror to the wall' (semi-permanent), 'stick a sticker on the door' (with adhesive), 'connect the printer to your laptop' (functional link).

attach ↗fasten ↗fix ↗stick ↗connect ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • please find attached
  • attach oneself to
  • attach importance to
  • attach a copy

Prepositions

Etymology

FrankishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Attach' came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'atachier', meaning to fix in place or fasten. The Old French form itself probably came from a Frankish root meaning 'to nail' or 'to peg'. The earliest English uses were legal — to seize a person or their property by court order — which is why we still have the modern legal sense of 'attach goods'. The everyday sense of joining one physical thing to another grew out of this, and the figurative senses of emotional bonding ('be attached to someone') and assigning importance ('attach value to') developed later, mainly from the 1700s onward. The computing sense of attaching a file is a 20th-century extension that uses the same metaphor of fixing one item alongside another.