Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » fix

fix

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

To fix means to repair, attach or secure. (verb)

An example of to fix is to repair a broken porch.
An example of to fix is taping a torn page in a book back together.
An example of to fix is using Velcro to attach one thing to another.

See fix in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb fixed, fixing

1. to make firm, stable, or secure
2. to fasten or attach firmly
to set firmly in the mind
1. to direct steadily: to fix the eyes on a target
2. to direct one's eyes steadily at: to fix the target
to make rigid or stiff: to fix one's jaw
to make permanent or lasting: color is fixed in dyeing
1. to arrange or establish definitely; set: to fix the date of a wedding
2. to determine with certainty: to fix the period of the dinosaurs' existence
3. to assign or ascribe: the jury must fix guilt
to arrange properly or in a certain way; set in order; adjust
to restore to proper condition; repair, mend, remedy, heal, etc.
to bank, refuel, and tend (a fire)
to prepare and cook (food or meals)
to preserve (a specimen) so that its tissue, etc. can be used for microscopic study
☆ Informal to influence the result or action of (a horse race, jury, election, etc.) to one's advantage by bribery, trickery, etc.
☆ Informal to revenge oneself on; get even with; punish or chastise
Informal to spay or castrate
Chem.
1. to make solid, permanent, or nonvolatile
2. to cause (atmospheric nitrogen) to combine with other elements or compounds to form nitrates, ammonia, etc.
Photog. to make (a film, print, etc.) permanent and prevent from fading by washing in a chemical solution

intransitive verb

to become fixed, firm, or stable
Informal, Dialectal to prepare or intend: I'm fixing to go hunting

noun

the position of a ship or aircraft determined from the bearings of two or more known points, from astronomical observations, or from radio signals, etc.
☆ Informal a difficult or awkward situation; predicament
Informal an adjustment, repair, improvement, etc.: a short-term fix
☆ Slang
1. the act of fixing the outcome of a contest, situation, etc.
2. a contest, situation, etc. that has been fixed
Slang a clear understanding or evaluation: to get a fix on the problem
Slang an injection of a narcotic, as heroin, by an addict

Related Forms:

fixable adjective

See fix in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(fĭks)

verb fixed fixed, fix·ing, fix·es

verb, transitive

a. To place securely; make stable or firm: fixed the tent poles in the ground. See Synonyms at fasten.
b. To secure to another; attach: fixing the notice to the board with tacks.
a. To put into a stable or unalterable form: tried to fix the conversation in her memory.
b. To make (a chemical substance) nonvolatile or solid.
c. Biology To convert (nitrogen) into stable, biologically assimilable compounds.
d. To kill and preserve (a specimen) intact for microscopic study.
e. To prevent discoloration of (a photographic image) by washing or coating with a chemical preservative.
To direct steadily: fixed her eyes on the road ahead.
To capture or hold: The man with the long beard fixed our attention.
a. To set or place definitely; establish: fixed her residence in a coastal village.
b. To determine with accuracy; ascertain: fixed the date of the ancient artifacts.
c. To agree on; arrange: fix a time to meet.
To assign; attribute: fixing the blame.
a. To correct or set right; adjust: fix a misspelling; fix the out-of-date accounts.
b. To restore to proper condition or working order; repair: fix a broken machine.
c. Computer Science To convert (data) from floating-point notation to fixed-point notation.
To make ready; prepare: fixed the room for the guests; fix lunch for the kids; fixed himself a milkshake.
To spay or castrate (an animal).
Informal To take revenge upon; get even with.
To influence the outcome or actions of by improper or unlawful means: fix a prizefight; fix a jury.

verb, intransitive

To direct one's efforts or attention; concentrate: We fixed on the immediate goal.
To become stable or firm; harden: Fresh plaster will fix in a few hours.
Chiefly Southern U.S. To be on the verge of; to be making preparations for. Used in progressive tenses with the infinitive: We were fixing to leave without you.

noun

a. The act of adjusting, correcting, or repairing.
b. Informal Something that repairs or restores; a solution: no easy fix for an intractable problem.
The position, as of a ship or aircraft, determined by visual observations with the aid of equipment.
A clear determination or understanding: a briefing that gave us a fix on the current situation.
An instance of arranging a special consideration, such as an exemption from a requirement, or an improper or illegal outcome, especially by means of bribery.
A difficult or embarrassing situation; a predicament. See Synonyms at predicament.
Slang An amount or dose of something craved, especially an intravenous injection of a narcotic.

Phrasal Verb: fix up To improve the appearance or condition of; refurbish. To provide; equip. Informal To provide a companion on a date for: fixed me up with an escort at the last minute.

Related Forms:

fixˈa·ble adjective

Regional Note: Fixing to ranks with y'all as one of the best known markers of Southern dialects, although it occasionally appears in the informal speech and writing of non-Southerners as well. Fixing to means “to be on the verge of or in preparation for (doing a given thing),” but like the modal auxiliaries, it has only a single invariant form and is not fully inflected like other verbs. Its form is always the present participle followed by the infinitive marker to: They were fixing to leave without me. Semantically, fixing to can refer only to events that immediately follow the speaker's point of reference. One cannot say, “We're fixing to have a baby in a couple of years.” The use of fixing to as an immediate or proximate future is very common in African American Vernacular English, and is one of many features that this variety of English shares with Southern dialects.

Learn more about fix

» fix synonyms

» FIX abbreviations & acronyms

» fix business definition

» fix investment & finance

» fix phrase meanings

» fix science

» fix sentence examples

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD

Feedback