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attach

v.
US //əˈtætʃ// UK //ɐtˈætʃ// at·tach
  1. 1 to fasten or join (v.)
    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'.

    Example

    You need to attach the label to the box before you send it.

    Example

    The technician used a specialized adhesive to attach the sensor to the outer casing of the engine.
  2. 2 digital files (v.)
    A2 Elementary Computing

    to add a document or photo to an email or message.

    to include a computer file as an attachment to an electronic communication.

    Example

    Don't forget to attach your CV to the job application email.

    Example

    The system will not allow you to send the message if you attempt to attach a file that exceeds twenty megabytes.
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  1. 3 to attribute importance (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

    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'.

    Example

    Many people attach great importance to their first impressions of a person.

    Example

    Sociologists often attach significant weight to early childhood environments when analyzing long-term educational outcomes.
  2. 4 emotional bond (v.)
    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.

    Example

    The children quickly became attached to their new puppy.

    Example

    Having lived in the coastal village for over thirty years, he found himself deeply attached to the local community and its traditions.
  3. 5 legal operation (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Formal Law

    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.

    Example

    The new tax rules will attach to any property sold after January.

    Example

    Liability for the debt does not attach to the new owner unless the contract specifically mentions the previous arrears.

    Usage

    The verb is intransitive in this sense and takes the preposition 'to'.
Origin

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.

Word family

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