What does fix mean?
"Fix" is one of English's most versatile everyday verbs. At its most basic, it means to repair something that is broken, damaged, or not working correctly — a car, a computer, a relationship. It can also mean to fasten or attach something securely in place, as when fixing a shelf to a wall. Beyond these physical senses, fix extends into planning and negotiation: people fix dates, prices, and appointments, settling them definitively. Informally, it means to prepare or arrange something, as in fixing a meal or fixing someone up with a job. A darker sense involves dishonesty — rigging a contest or result. As a noun, a fix is a difficult situation or a quick solution. Derived from the Latin figere, meaning to fasten, the word entered English in the late medieval period through French. Its adaptability across repair, attachment, decision-making, and informal usage makes it essential vocabulary.
To repair, mend, or restore something broken; to fasten or attach something firmly; to settle or arrange a matter such as a date or price.
"Can you fix the fence before the storm arrives?"
Widely used in everyday speech; informal senses include preparing food and arranging outcomes dishonestly.
A difficult, embarrassing, or awkward situation; informally, a quick or makeshift solution to a problem.
"Being stranded without cash left us in a real fix."
Often used in the phrase 'in a fix'; can also refer to an addiction-related dose in colloquial usage.
"Fix" comes from the Latin figere — the same root behind "fixture" and even "transfix," literally to pierce through — so every time you fix something, you're pinning it down in place.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fix
"Fix" derives from the Latin verb figere, meaning to fasten or pierce, which passed into Old French as ficher before entering Middle English around the fourteenth century. The same Latin root produced related English words including affix, prefix, fixture, and transfix. Cognates appear across the Romance languages, such as French figer and Spanish fijar.
Related word forms
How fix is actually used
"Fix" is common in everyday speech across both British and American English. In informal contexts it can mean preparing food ("I'll fix dinner") or dealing with something quickly. The sense of arranging an outcome dishonestly carries negative connotations. As a noun, "a fix" often refers to a difficult situation or, colloquially, a dose of a drug to which someone is addicted.