attach
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to join or fasten one thing to another thing.
to fasten, join, or connect one object to another. Transitive — requires a direct object and often takes the preposition 'to'.
Simple“You need to attach the label to the box before you send it.”
In context“The technician used a specialized adhesive to attach the sensor to the outer casing of the engine.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
to add a document or photo to an email or message.
to include a computer file as an attachment to an electronic communication.
Simple“Don't forget to attach your CV to the job application email.”
In context“The system will not allow you to send the message if you attempt to attach a file that exceeds twenty megabytes.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to believe that something has a particular quality or importance.
to ascribe or attribute a particular quality, value, or importance to something. Often used with 'importance', 'weight', or 'significance'.
Simple“Many people attach great importance to their first impressions of a person.”
In context“Sociologists often attach significant weight to early childhood environments when analyzing long-term educational outcomes.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
to become emotionally close to someone or something.
to bind by ties of affection, loyalty, or self-interest. Usually appears in the passive voice or as a past participle adjective.
Simple“The children quickly became attached to their new puppy.”
In context“Having lived in the coastal village for over thirty years, he found himself deeply attached to the local community and its traditions.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
to become a legal reality or to start being active in a legal way.
to come into legal operation or to take effect as a right or liability. Intransitive in this technical sense.
Simple“The new tax rules will attach to any property sold after January.”
In context“Liability for the debt does not attach to the new owner unless the contract specifically mentions the previous arrears.”
UsageThe verb is intransitive in this sense and takes the preposition 'to'.
From Middle English attachen, from Old French atachier, variant of estachier (“bind”), derived from estache (“stick”), from Frankish stakkā, stakō (“stick”), from Proto-Germanic *stakô (“pole, bar, stick, stake”). Doublet of attack. More at stake, stack. Displaced native Old English þīedan.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.