fasten
verb
Simple meaning
To attach or connect in a secure way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fasuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfæsən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ambitransitive
To attach or connect in a secure manner.
“They fastened various nicknames to each other.”
To cause to take close effect; to make to tell; to land.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (ambitransitive) To attach or connect in a secure manner.
Used this way, fasten is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“They fastened various nicknames to each other.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use fasten
- “This dress fastens in the back.”verb
- “Fasten the lock onto the door.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A person who fastens or makes fast.
Restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place.
Firmly closed or secured.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Adopt.
A small strip of corrugated steel with sharp points on one side.
A fastener for locking together two toothed edges by means of a sliding tab.
A fastener for holding a sheet of paper in place.
A lock attached to the sashes of a double hung window that can fix both in the shut position.
A fastener for locking together two toothed edges by means of a sliding tab.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: to attach or connect in a secure manner
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.