attachment
attachment — noun
1. a tool or extra part that you put on a machine to let it perform another task
a tool or extra part that you put on a machine to let it perform another task
The vacuum attachment reached the dust behind the sofa.
collocation: vacuum attachment
Rosa changed the mixer attachment before making bread dough.
A brush attachment turned the drill into a cleaner for tiles.
attachment changes a machine's job
The farmer bought an attachment for cutting grass near the fence.
attachment for + job
Without the right attachment, the machine could not lift the barrels.
- vacuum attachment
- drill attachment
- mixer attachment
- fit an attachment
- attachment for cutting
Grammar Patterns
an attachment for a machine
fit an attachment to a machine
a vacuum attachment
Usage Note
Often follows attachment for when naming the job, or attachment to when naming the machine. Distinguish from sense 6, which is about the joining itself rather than an added part.
Common Mistakes
2. a file or document sent with an email or other electronic message as a separate
a file or document sent with an email or other electronic message as a separate item
I forgot to open the attachment before replying to Mia.
open the attachment
The teacher asked us to send the photo as an attachment.
send + as an attachment
No attachment came with Leo's message about the meeting.
Our office blocks large attachments from unknown email addresses.
large attachments
Please check the attachment for tomorrow's train schedule.
- email attachment
- large attachment
- open an attachment
- send an attachment
- attachment size
- file
broader because a file does not have to be sent with a message
- document
narrower and usually refers to written material rather than any file type
- enclosure
more formal and common in business messages or letters
- upload
refers to the action or result of putting a file online, not specifically sending it with a message
Grammar Patterns
send an attachment
open the attachment
an email attachment
Usage Note
Most often used for email, but it can also refer to a file sent with another electronic message. Distinguish from sense 1, where attachment means a physical added part on a machine.
Common Mistakes
3. a warm, lasting feeling that ties you closely to a person, place, group, or beli
a warm, lasting feeling that ties you closely to a person, place, group, or belief
Even after college, Lena felt a strong attachment to her hometown.
attachment to + place
Mei's attachment to the club grew during twenty years of coaching.
Many voters showed deep attachment to the old party ideals.
attachment to + belief
After the move, the twins kept their attachment to the island alive.
Nora's attachment to the church shaped every holiday choice.
- strong attachment
- deep attachment
- attachment to home
- attachment to tradition
- emotional attachment
- detachment
suggests emotional distance rather than closeness
- indifference
means not caring or feeling involved
Grammar Patterns
attachment to someone
attachment to a place or idea
strong attachment
Usage Note
Usually appears as attachment to + person, place, group, or idea. Distinguish from sense 4, which is the psychology-related bond between a young child and a caregiver.
Common Mistakes
4. the close bond that a baby or young child develops with the person who cares for
the close bond that a baby or young child develops with the person who cares for them
The baby's attachment to her father grew during daily bath time.
attachment to + caregiver
Doctors watched for healthy attachment between the child and caregiver.
attachment between child and caregiver
Long hospital stays can interrupt attachment in very young children.
Secure attachment helps toddlers explore a room and return calmly.
secure attachment
The counselor explained attachment problems to worried new parents.
- secure attachment
- healthy attachment
- attachment to a caregiver
- attachment problems
- attachment theory
- bond
broader and less technical than attachment in psychology
- closeness
more general and does not specifically refer to child development
- dependence
stresses need more than emotional security
Grammar Patterns
attachment to a caregiver
secure attachment
healthy attachment
Usage Note
Common in psychology and child-development writing. Distinguish from sense 3, which can describe broader love or loyalty to people, places, groups, or ideas.
Common Mistakes
5. the official taking of a person or property by law, especially after a court ord
the official taking of a person or property by law, especially after a court order or unpaid debt
The court ordered attachment of the landlord's bank account.
attachment of + property
The judge approved attachment after Ben skipped three court hearings.
formal legal use
The debt notice warned that attachment of property could follow.
After the attachment order, court officers sealed the factory machines.
court-ordered attachment of property
Lawyers argued against attachment of Maria's wages in court.
- attachment of property
- attachment of wages
- attachment order
- under attachment
- seizure
broader legal term for taking a person or property by force or authority
- impoundment
often used when property, money, or vehicles are officially held
- garnishment
narrower and mainly used for money taken from wages
Grammar Patterns
attachment of property
under attachment
attachment order
Usage Note
Very formal and mainly used in legal contexts, especially with property, wages, or debts. Distinguish from sense 6, which is an ordinary physical connection, and from everyday arrest, which is much more common outside legal documents.
Common Mistakes
6. the joining of two things, or the place or part that keeps them joined
the joining of two things, or the place or part that keeps them joined
The rope's attachment to the boat came loose in the wind.
attachment to + object
Careful attachment of the shelf to the wall took an hour.
attachment of + thing + to
Engineers tested the wing attachment before the first flight.
A weak attachment between the pipe and tank caused the leak.
attachment between + parts
Rain entered through the attachment point under the metal frame.
attachment point
- firm attachment
- attachment point
- attachment to the wall
- attachment between parts
- attachment of the rope
- connection
broadest choice for things joined together
- fastening
stresses the act or method of fixing something in place
- link
often suggests a joining relationship between two parts
- joint
focuses on the place where two parts meet
- separation
focuses on things being apart instead of fixed together
- detachment
means the state of being removed or disconnected
Grammar Patterns
attachment of one thing to another
attachment to a surface
attachment point
Usage Note
Usually appears in patterns such as attachment of A to B, attachment to + noun, or attachment between + nouns. Distinguish from sense 1, where attachment means an added machine part rather than the fastening itself.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- attachverbB2
- attachedadjectiveB2
- detachableadjectiveC1
- detachmentnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/2
For sense 2, attachment is the normal word for a file that goes out with an email or message. File is broader: it can mean any computer item, whether you send it or not. Document is narrower because it usually suggests written material, not a photo, sound file, or video. Enclosure is more formal and is common in business email or traditional letters. If you say I sent the budget as an attachment, listeners picture an extra file added to the message. If you say I sent the file, they know what you sent, but not whether it was attached, linked, or shared another way.
Common collocations
Etymology
Attachment is built from attach and the noun ending -ment. Attach came into English from French and first meant to fasten or fix something to something else. From that basic idea of being fixed on, attachment later developed wider meanings such as an added machine part, an emotional bond, a legal seizure, and, in modern computing, a file sent with a message.