fasten

fasten, fix, attach, affix mean to make something stay firmly in place or in an assigned place. All but fix (and that sometimes) imply a uniting or joining of one thing to another or of two things together.

Fasten implies an attempt to keep a thing from moving by uniting it (as by tying, binding, nailing, or cementing) to something else or by restraining it by means of some mechanical device (as a lock, a screw, or a hook and eye)

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fasten a horse to a post

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fasten down the lid of a box

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fasten a calendar to a wall

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fasten a door

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fasten a dress in the back

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Fix implies an attempt to keep something from falling down or from losing hold; it suggests such operations as driving in or implanting deeply, usually with care and accuracy

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fix a stake in the ground

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unless their roots are deeply fixed, plants will not be strong

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It is more common in its extended than in its basic sense, but the implications remain the same

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fix a face in one's memory

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fix facts in one's mind

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fix a color in a fabric by use of a mordant

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In some phrases where fasten and fix are used interchangeably there may be a distinction in meaning which is subtle but justified; thus, to fix one's affections on someone connotes concentration and fidelity while to fasten one's affections on someone may, and often does, suggest covetousness or an attempt to hold or control; to fix the blame upon a person implies solid grounds for the accusation, but to fasten the blame upon someone often suggests factitious grounds or selfish motives

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his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord— Ps 112:7

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society wanted to do what it pleased; all disliked the laws which Church and State were trying to fasten on them— Henry Adams

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Attach stresses connection or union in order to keep things together or to prevent their separation; it usually implies a bond, link, or tie

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the lid is attached to the box by hinges

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attach loose sheets by means of a staple

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the collarbone is attached to the shoulder blade at one end and to the breastbone at the other

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he attached himself to the cause in his youth

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in some countries little odium is attached to drunkenness

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attach a condition to a promise

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she undertakes to attach him to her by strong ties: a child, or marriage— Parshley

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Affix usually implies imposition of one thing upon another; it may convey no further information

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affix a seal to a document

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Felton affixed this bull to the gates of the bishop of London's palace— Hallam

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but it more often than not suggests either attachment by an adhesive (as paste, gum, or mucilage)

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affix a stamp to an envelope

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or subscription (as of a name to a document)

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he's old enough to affix his signature to an instrument— Meredith

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Analogous words: *secure, rivet, moor, anchor: *join, connect, link, unite: adhere, cleave, cling, *stick, cohere: bind, *tie

Antonyms: unfasten: loosen, loose

Contrasted words: *separate, part, sever, sunder, divorce, divide