What does "fix" mean?
A repair or corrective action.
Fix
/ˈfɪks/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A repair or corrective action.
- Grammar: fix is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: desex, mend, repair, repair.
- Useful contrasts: alternate number, broken, dutch schuiven.
- Usage evidence: He will wriggle out of the fix.
How to use "fix"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fix" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fix" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fix" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fix" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fix" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "desex" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fix", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A repair or corrective action.
"That plumber's fix is much better than the first one's."
- 2 Abbreviation of factor IX (clotting factor IX). abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 a determination of the place where something is wordnet
- 4 A difficult situation; a quandary or dilemma; a predicament.
"It rained before we repaired the roof, and were we in a fix!"
- 5 an exemption granted after influence (e.g., money) is brought to bear wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 A single dose of a narcotic drug, especially when injected. slang
"And Cash told me of cases where two hips take a fix together and then one pulls out his badge."
- 7 the act of putting something in working order again wordnet
- 8 A single dose of a narcotic drug, especially when injected.; Something that satisfies a yearning or a craving. broadly, figuratively, slang
- 9 something craved, especially an intravenous injection of a narcotic drug wordnet
- 10 A single dose of a narcotic drug, especially when injected.; A compulsive desire or thrill. broadly, figuratively, slang
- 11 informal terms for a difficult situation wordnet
- 12 A prearrangement of the outcome of a supposedly competitive process, such as a sporting event, a game, an election, a trial, or a bid.
"As the professional thief notes: You can tell by the way the case is handled in court when the fix is in."
- 13 An understanding, grasp of something.
"Each character comes to us with her own particular fix on reality, shaped by a lifetime of experience and by the urgencies of the moment."
- 14 A determination of location.
"We have a fix on your position."
- 15 A non-waypoint terrain feature used to make a determination of location.
- 16 Fettlings (mixture used to line a furnace) US
Verb
- 1 To pierce; now generally replaced by transfix. obsolete, transitive
- 2 make infertile wordnet
- 3 To pierce; now generally replaced by transfix.; (Of a piercing look) to direct at someone. broadly, obsolete, transitive
"He fixed me with a sickly grin, and said, "I told you it wouldn't work!""
- 4 restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken wordnet
- 5 To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time. transitive
"A dab of chewing gum will fix your note to the bulletin board."
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc wordnet
- 7 To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time.; To focus or determine (oneself, on a concept); to fixate. figuratively, passive, transitive, usually
"She's fixed on the idea of becoming a doctor."
- 8 kill, preserve, and harden (tissue) in order to prepare for microscopic study wordnet
- 9 To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time.; To prevent enemy pawns from advancing by directly opposing the most advanced one with one of one's own pawns so as to threaten to capture any advancing backward pawns. transitive
- 10 make fixed, stable or stationary wordnet
- 11 To mend, to repair. transitive
"That heater will start a fire if you don't fix it."
- 12 decide upon or fix definitely wordnet
- 13 To prepare (food or drink). ditransitive, informal
"She fixed dinner for the kids."
- 14 take vengeance on or get even wordnet
- 15 To make (a contest, vote, or gamble) unfair; to privilege one contestant or a particular group of contestants, usually before the contest begins; to arrange immunity for defendants by tampering with the justice system via bribery or extortion. transitive
"A majority of voters believed the election was fixed in favor of the incumbent."
- 16 cause to be firmly attached wordnet
- 17 To surgically render an animal, especially a pet, infertile. US, informal, transitive
"Rover stopped digging under the fence after we had the vet fix him."
- 18 put (something somewhere) firmly wordnet
- 19 To map (a point or subset) to itself. transitive
"The function f#58;#92;mathbb#123;R#125;#92;to#92;mathbb#123;R#125;#59;f(x)#58;#61;4x-3 fixes the point 1#92;in#92;mathbb#123;R#125;, since f(1)#61;4(1)-3#61;1."
- 20 set or place definitely wordnet
- 21 To take revenge on, to best; to serve justice on an assumed miscreant. informal, transitive
"He got caught breaking into lockers, so a couple of guys fixed him after work."
- 22 prepare for eating by applying heat wordnet
- 23 To render (a photographic impression) permanent by treating with such applications as will make it insensitive to the action of light. transitive
- 24 to be about to do something wordnet
- 25 To convert into a stable or available form. transitive
"Legumes are valued in crop rotation for their ability to fix nitrogen."
- 26 influence an event or its outcome by illegal means wordnet
- 27 To become fixed; to settle or remain permanently; to cease from wandering; to rest. intransitive
"Accuſing ſome malignant Star, Not Britain, for that fateful War, Your kindneſs baniſhes your fear, Reſolv’d to fix for ever here."
- 28 To become firm, so as to resist volatilization; to cease to flow or be fluid; to congeal; to become hard and malleable, as a metallic substance. intransitive
"quicksilver will fix, so asto endure the hammer"
- 29 To shoot; to inject a drug. intransitive, slang
"She doesn't have to worry about stool pigeons because every law in the Federal District knows that Lupita sells junk. She keeps outfits in glasses of alcohol so the junkies can fix in the joint and walk out clean."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"He will wriggle out of the fix."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fix"?
Common synonyms include: desex, mend, repair, repair, join, acclimate.
How do you use "fix" in a sentence?
He will wriggle out of the fix.
How do you pronounce "fix"?
Pronounced /ˈfɪks/.
Etymology
From Middle English fixen, borrowed from Old French *fixer (attested only as ficher, fichier; > English fitch), from fix (“fastened; fixed”), from Latin fīxus (“immovable; steady; stable; fixed”), from fīgō (“to drive in; stick; fasten”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to jab; stick; set”). Related to dig.