fastenfas‧ten /ˈfɑːsən $ ˈfæ-/ ●●○ verb 
‘I’m going now,’ she said, fastening her coat. Fasten your seat belt. b)[intransitive] to become joined together with buttons, hooks etc SYN do up: I was so fat that my skirt wouldn’t fasten.RegisterIn everyday British English, people usually say do up rather than fasten:· Do up your jacket – it’s cold.2window/gate etc [intransitive, transitive] to firmly close a window, gate etc so that it will not open, or to become firmly closed OPP unfasten: Make sure all the windows are securely fastened before you leave.3attach something to something [transitive] to attach something firmly to another object or surfacefasten something with something Fasten the edges of the cloth together with pins.fasten something to something They fastened the rope to a tree.4hold something tightly [intransitive, transitive] to hold something firmly with your hands, legs, arms, or teethfasten something around/round something She fastened her arms around his neck.fasten around/round A strong hand fastened round her wrist.fasten on/onto Their long claws allow them to fasten onto the rocks and hold firm.5fasten your eyes/gaze on somebody/something to look at someone or something for a long time: He rose, his eyes still fastened on the piece of paper.6fasten your attention on somebody/something to think a lot about one particular thing or person: He was working quietly, all his attention fastened on the task.GRAMMARFasten belongs to a group of verbs where the same noun can be the subject of the verb or its object.• You can say: · You fasten the dress at the back. In this sentence, ‘the dress’ is the object of fasten.• You can say: · The dress fastens at the back. In this sentence, ‘the dress’ is the subject of fasten.Grammar guide ‒ VERBSTHESAURUSfasten to join together the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · He fastened the necklace behind her neck.attach to fasten something firmly to another object or surface, using screws, nails, tape, glue etc: · The boards were attached with screws.· The prisoner was attached to the wall with chains.join to connect or fasten things together: · Join the pieces using a strong glueglue to join things together using glue: · Glue the fabric to the white card.tape to fasten something using tape: · The students’ name cards were taped to the table.staple to fasten something using staples (=a small piece of wire that is pressed through paper using a special machine): · Don’t staple your résumé to your cover letter.clip to fasten things together using a clip (=a small metal object): · A photo was clipped to the letter.tie to fasten a tie, shoelaces etc by making a knot: · Don’t forget to tie your shoelaces!do something up especially British English to fasten a piece of clothing or the buttons etc on it: · The teacher doesn’t have time to do up every child’s coat.· Let me do it up for you.button (up) to fasten a shirt, coat etc with buttons: · His shirt was buttoned right to the top.zip (up) to fasten a piece of clothing, a bag etc with a zip: · Zip up your jacket, it’s cold.buckle (up) to fasten a seat belt, belt, shoe etc that has a buckle (=small metal object that fits through a hole in a strap): · The little girl struggled to buckle her shoes.unfasten/untie/undo/unbutton/unzip to open something that is fastened: · Do not unfasten your seat belt until the car has stopped completely.fasten on/upon something phrasal verb to give particular attention to something because you think it is important or interesting: My mother fastened on the word ‘unsafe’.fasten onto somebody/something (also fasten on to somebody/something) phrasal verb1to give particular attention to something because you think it is important or interesting2to follow someone and stay with them, especially when they do not want you to SYN latch onto somebody: The dog seemed lost and fastened onto us.
WORD ORIGINfasten
Origin:
Old English fæstnian; related to ➔ FAST2VERB TABLE
fasten
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | fasten |
| he, she, it | fastens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | fastened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have fastened |
| he, she, it | has fastened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had fastened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will fasten |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have fastened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am fastening |
| he, she, it | is fastening | |
| you, we, they | are fastening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was fastening |
| you, we, they | were fastening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been fastening |
| he, she, it | has been fastening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been fastening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be fastening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been fastening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Fasten your coat - it's cold outside.
- Christine fastened the brooch to her dress.
- Divers fasten weights around their waists to help them stay under water.
- Ella fastened her blouse with shaking fingers.
- He fastened the bracelet for her.
- Make sure the wires are properly fastened to the unit.
- Many children's shoes now fasten with Velcro.
- Passengers should keep their seat belts fastened until the warning light is extinguished.
- Please fasten your seat belts.
- She fastened her broad hat beneath her chin.
- Snowflake ornaments and tiny red ribbons were fastened to the Christmas tree.
- The chains were fastened with steel locks.
- With the strap fastened, you should not be able to get the bike helmet off.
- Apart from fastening the cuttings together, the lead strip acts as a weight to hold the bunch down.
- But despite their different backgrounds, all the men meticulously fasten their seat belts before each journey.
- Forward seat belts each comprised a two-piece lap strap, fastened by a buckle, and an inertial reel diagonal shoulder strap.
- Maggie fastened her eyes on him and tried to get control of her temper and her very stupidly lingering disappointment.
- The nails used to fasten tiles and slates should be of copper or aluminium composition.
- The top pair never fastens, are known as dress buttons.
- Turns out that as a state we smoke less, fasten seat belts more and are actually thinner.
THESAURUS
to join together the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · He fastened the necklace behind her neck.
to fasten something firmly to another object or surface, using screws, nails, tape, glue etc: · The boards were attached with screws.· The prisoner was attached to the wall with chains.
to connect or fasten things together: · Join the pieces using a strong glue
to join things together using glue: · Glue the fabric to the white card.
to fasten something using tape: · The students’ name cards were taped to the table.
to fasten something using staples (=a small piece of wire that is pressed through paper using a special machine): · Don’t staple your résumé to your cover letter.
to fasten things together using a clip (=a small metal object): · A photo was clipped to the letter.
to fasten a tie, shoelaces etc by making a knot: · Don’t forget to tie your shoelaces!
especially British English to fasten a piece of clothing or the buttons etc on it: · The teacher doesn’t have time to do up every child’s coat.· Let me do it up for you.
to fasten a shirt, coat etc with buttons: · His shirt was buttoned right to the top.
to fasten a piece of clothing, a bag etc with a zip: · Zip up your jacket, it’s cold.
to fasten a seat belt, belt, shoe etc that has a buckle (=small metal object that fits through a hole in a strap): · The little girl struggled to buckle her shoes.
to open something that is fastened: · Do not unfasten your seat belt until the car has stopped completely.
Longman Language Activatorto fasten something to join together the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc, so that it is closed: · Fasten your coat - it's cold outside.· He fastened the bracelet for her.· Ella fastened her blouse with shaking fingers.
to fasten the buttons on a piece of clothing: · He began buttoning his shirt and putting on his tie.· Stone buttoned up his heavy jacket.button something up/button up something: · She buttoned her cardigan up all the way to her neck.· I adjusted my tie and buttoned up my coat.
also zip especially American to fasten clothes, bags etc with a zip: · I can't zip up these jeans - they're too tight.· Can you zip my dress for me?zip something up: · She took some money out of her purse and quickly zipped it up again.zip up something: · Roger zipped up the battered black case he carried his guitar in.
British especially spoken to fasten clothes, or the buttons, zips etc on clothes: do up something: · Come on then, do up your coat and let's go.· When I walked into the room, Allen was doing up his trousers.do something up: · I can't do this zip up - it's stuck.· Are your shoelaces done up properly?
to fasten something by making a knot: · She tied a scarf around her neck.· Do you know how to tie a bow tie?
also buckle American to fasten your seatbelt in a car: · Eighty percent of motorists now buckle up, studies show. · Nancy got behind the wheel and buckled up.· The new law will require passengers in the rear seats of automobiles to buckle their seatbelts.
to unfasten something to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.· Jack unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes: · My fingers were so cold that I couldn't undo the buttons.· Rosie undid her necklace and put it on the bedside table.
to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing: · She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.· Father Poole began to unbutton his overcoat.
to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip: · She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.· He unzipped his jacket and flung it on a chair.
to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc: · He untied his right shoe first.· Amy untied her apron and folded it neatly.
to unfasten clothes a little in order to make yourself more comfortable: · I'd eaten so much that I had to loosen my belt.· Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
a shirt, bag etc that is open is not fastened: · It was very hot and the men had their shirts open to the waist.· Emily realised that her handbag was open and her money gone.come open (=become open accidentally): · Her blouse came open in front of a nationwide TV audience!
to attach one thing to another so that it stays in position to join one thing to another, especially something larger, using glue, string, wires etc to keep it there: · Get your receipt, attach it, and send it in .attach something to something: · A copy of my resumé is attached to this letter.· The doctor will attach a monitor to your stomach so that she can listen to the baby's heart.
to attach one thing to another firmly, but in a way that makes it easy to remove again: · Passengers should keep their seat belts fastened until the warning light is extinguished.fasten something to something: · Christine fastened the brooch to her dress.· Make sure the wires are properly fastened to the unit.fasten something on/around/over etc: · Divers fasten weights around their waists to help them stay under water.· She fastened her broad hat beneath her chin.
British to attach one thing to another so that it will stay permanently in this position, for example by using nails, screws, or strong glue: fix something to something: · He fixed the lamp to the wall above the bed with a couple of screws.· I don't think it's fixed to the ceiling very securely.fix something on something: · I tried to fix them on the door, but they wouldn't stay.
to attach one thing to another using nails: nail something to something: · A large American flag is nailed to the wall above the bed.· The desks in all the classrooms were nailed to the floor.nail something on/together/down etc: · We watched as Dad nailed the fence panels together.· I got a hammer and nailed down the floorboards.· The windows had been nailed shut.
to attach something using a pin , especially to your clothes: pin something to: · He had pinned a red rose to his jacket.· Each delegate wore a name tag pinned to their lapel. pin something on/up/together etc: · One of the straps was pinned in place with two safety pins.· A note was pinned on the door of his office.
to join two things together with wire, glue etc to join two things together, for example by using glue or a piece of wood or metal: · Join the two pieces of wood using a strong glue.join something together: · Doctors had to use a metal rod to join the two pieces of bone together.· Join the sleeve and the shoulder parts together.
to join one thing to another, so that it stays in position but can be removed later: attach something to something: · It took a couple of minutes to attach the trailer to the back of the truck.· The doctor attached a tiny monitor to the baby's head.be attached to something: · The references and diagrams were attached to the document.
especially British to join one thing firmly to another, using screws, nails, or glue, so that it stays there permanently: be fixed to something: · The chairs and tables were fixed to the floor.fix something to something: · They disconnected the gas, and fixed the water heater to an outside wall.
to fix one thing firmly to another, using string, wire, or tape, in a way that makes it easy to remove later: fasten something to something: · Claire carefully fastened the brooch to her dress.be fastened to something: · Snowflake ornaments and tiny red ribbons were fastened to the Christmas tree.
to join two pieces of equipment together with a wire or a pipe, so that electricity, water, gas etc can pass from one to the other: connect something to something: · Have you connected the speakers to the amplifier?be connected to something: · The scanner is connected to a computer that prints the name and price of each grocery item at the checkout.
to connect two computers, machines, or systems so that electronic signals can pass from one to the other: · The two TV stations are linked by satellite.link something to something: · The college provides technology to all faculty members and students to link them to the Internet.be linked to something: · All the PCs in the office are linked to a main server.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES All firearms should be kept securely locked in a cabinet.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
· Small children can't fasten their own buttons.
All firearms should be kept securely locked in a cabinet.· As quick as a striking adder, the soldier's fingers fastened around her arm.
· These will be fastened on and above them a platform.· What on earth was she now what trend or fad was she fastening on?· There are sections of Hazlitt's critical work which fasten on more general issues.· The gate was made out of three or four sheets of corrugated iron fastened on to a wooden trellis.· Mr Corcoran had stared stonily at him through the pince-nez fastened on to his thin beak of a nose.· But the danger, in fastening on Ayckbourn's ingenuity, is that we overlook what he is saying.
· Hands fastened round her neck and threw her sprawling across the floor.
NOUN· Slipping the garment over her naked shoulders, she pulled it around herself and fastened the belt.· But despite their different backgrounds, all the men meticulously fasten their seat belts before each journey.· Then, very slowly, Mr Evans fastened his belt round his trousers ... He prayed for Nick that night.· Newman boarded the aircraft for Brussels at London Airport, fastened his seat belt.· Turns out that as a state we smoke less, fasten seat belts more and are actually thinner.
· My grandmother's tin peacocks were fastened to the door.· Bea heard the cast iron bell fastened to the front door and went to see who it was.· As she fastened the door and her seat belt he sat immobile, then when she was ready he started the engine.· He slid the companionway hatch cover forward and fastened the doors, shutting off the interior of the yacht.
· A silver dish like a holy water font was fastened to the seat in front of me.· But despite their different backgrounds, all the men meticulously fasten their seat belts before each journey.· Turns out that as a state we smoke less, fasten seat belts more and are actually thinner.· Newman boarded the aircraft for Brussels at London Airport, fastened his seat belt.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► fasten your attention on somebody/something
- Maggie fastened her eyes on him and tried to get control of her temper and her very stupidly lingering disappointment.
WORD FAMILYnounfastenerverbfasten ≠ unfasten
1clothes/bag etc (also fasten up) a)[transitive] to join together the two sides of a coat, shirt, bag etc so that it is closed SYN do up OPP unfasten: ‘I’m going now,’ she said, fastening her coat. Fasten your seat belt. b)[intransitive] to become joined together with buttons, hooks etc SYN do up: I was so fat that my skirt wouldn’t fasten.RegisterIn everyday British English, people usually say do up rather than fasten:· Do up your jacket – it’s cold.2window/gate etc [intransitive, transitive] to firmly close a window, gate etc so that it will not open, or to become firmly closed OPP unfasten: Make sure all the windows are securely fastened before you leave.3attach something to something [transitive] to attach something firmly to another object or surfacefasten something with something Fasten the edges of the cloth together with pins.fasten something to something They fastened the rope to a tree.4hold something tightly [intransitive, transitive] to hold something firmly with your hands, legs, arms, or teethfasten something around/round something She fastened her arms around his neck.fasten around/round A strong hand fastened round her wrist.fasten on/onto Their long claws allow them to fasten onto the rocks and hold firm.5fasten your eyes/gaze on somebody/something to look at someone or something for a long time: He rose, his eyes still fastened on the piece of paper.6fasten your attention on somebody/something to think a lot about one particular thing or person: He was working quietly, all his attention fastened on the task.GRAMMARFasten belongs to a group of verbs where the same noun can be the subject of the verb or its object.• You can say: · You fasten the dress at the back. In this sentence, ‘the dress’ is the object of fasten.• You can say: · The dress fastens at the back. In this sentence, ‘the dress’ is the subject of fasten.Grammar guide ‒ VERBSTHESAURUSfasten to join together the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · He fastened the necklace behind her neck.attach to fasten something firmly to another object or surface, using screws, nails, tape, glue etc: · The boards were attached with screws.· The prisoner was attached to the wall with chains.join to connect or fasten things together: · Join the pieces using a strong glueglue to join things together using glue: · Glue the fabric to the white card.tape to fasten something using tape: · The students’ name cards were taped to the table.staple to fasten something using staples (=a small piece of wire that is pressed through paper using a special machine): · Don’t staple your résumé to your cover letter.clip to fasten things together using a clip (=a small metal object): · A photo was clipped to the letter.tie to fasten a tie, shoelaces etc by making a knot: · Don’t forget to tie your shoelaces!do something up especially British English to fasten a piece of clothing or the buttons etc on it: · The teacher doesn’t have time to do up every child’s coat.· Let me do it up for you.button (up) to fasten a shirt, coat etc with buttons: · His shirt was buttoned right to the top.zip (up) to fasten a piece of clothing, a bag etc with a zip: · Zip up your jacket, it’s cold.buckle (up) to fasten a seat belt, belt, shoe etc that has a buckle (=small metal object that fits through a hole in a strap): · The little girl struggled to buckle her shoes.unfasten/untie/undo/unbutton/unzip to open something that is fastened: · Do not unfasten your seat belt until the car has stopped completely.fasten on/upon something phrasal verb to give particular attention to something because you think it is important or interesting: My mother fastened on the word ‘unsafe’.fasten onto somebody/something (also fasten on to somebody/something) phrasal verb1to give particular attention to something because you think it is important or interesting2to follow someone and stay with them, especially when they do not want you to SYN latch onto somebody: The dog seemed lost and fastened onto us.