Meaning of fix in English

fix

verb

/fɪks/ uk

/fɪks/

fix verb (REPAIR)

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B1 [ T ]

to repair something:

They couldn't fix my old computer, so I bought a new one.

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to repair something

repairHe asked if she could repair the broken lamp.
fixI need to get my bike fixed.
mendCan you mend that hole in my pants?
do upNick loves doing up old cars.
serviceI'm taking the car in to have it serviced.
patch upI patched up the old bike and got it working.

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We must get someone to fix that wheel.
He fixes washing machines.
They fixed my watch free of charge.
The car's still at the garage getting fixed.
I still haven't gotten around to fixing that tap.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Correcting and mending

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fix verb (ARRANGE)

B2 [ I or T ] mainly UK

to arrange or agree a time, place, price, etc.:

Should we fix a time for our next meeting?

be fixed at I understand the rent is fixed at $750 a month.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to decide

decideI've decided to move to Europe.
fixUK The price has been fixed at £10.
setHave you set a date for the wedding?
finalizeWe've chosen a venue for the wedding, but we haven't finalized the details yet.
settleOK then, we're going to Spain. That's settled.
settle on/uponHave you settled on a place to live yet?

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Let's meet for lunch if we can fix a day to suit us both.
The directors had some difficulty in fixing a date for the meeting.
Our next rehearsal has been fixed for Tuesday 22nd.
Can you fix it for me to see a West-End show while I'm in London?
They finally fixed the price at £125 000, less than their original asking price.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Decisions and deciding

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fix verb (FASTEN)

B2 [ T + adv/prep ]

to fasten something in position so that it cannot move:

fix something to something We fixed the bookcase to the wall.

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Many shops have video cameras fixed to their walls or ceilings for security reasons.
For now I've fixed a shower attachment to the bath taps, but one day I'll get an electric shower fitted.
They fixed a plastic sheet over the broken window.
The judge was trying to fix the rosette to the bridle of the winning horse.
I'm afraid we're having difficulty fixing this curtain rail in place.

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Fastening and tying

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fix verb (SIGHT)

C2 [ T ]

to keep something or someone in sight:

be fixed on His eyes were fixed on the distant yacht.

fix someone with something She fixed the child with a stare of such disapproval he did not dare move.

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Using the eyes

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fix verb (KEEP)

[ T usually + adv/prep ]

to continue to think about or remember something:

be fixed in your mind It is somehow fixed in my mind that my fate and that woman's are intertwined.

fix something on something She was so frightened that she could not fix her thoughts on anything.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Continually thinking about

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fix verb (CHEAT)

[ T often passive ]

to do something dishonest to make certain that a competition, race, or election is won by a particular person:

Several jockeys were arrested on suspicion of fixing the race.

It sounds like the election was fixed.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Fraud & corruption

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Cheating & tricking

fix verb (HAIR/MAKEUP/CLOTHES)

B1 [ T ]

to make your hair, makeup, clothes, etc. look neat:

Give me a couple of minutes while I fix my hair.

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Cleaning & tidying places & things

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fix verb (PREPARE)

B2 [ T ] mainly US informal

to cook or prepare food or drink:

Whose turn is it to fix dinner?

[ + two objects ] Can I fix you a drink?

fix something for someone Can I fix a drink for you?

be fixing to

US informal

to be planning to do something:

I'm fixing to leave pretty soon.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Preparing food

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Drinking alcohol

fix verb (PUNISH)

[ T ] UK slang

to punish especially someone who has been unfair:

I'm gonna fix her if she doesn't stop telling lies about me!

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Revenge and vengefulness

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Punishing & punishments

fix verb (PRESERVE COLORS)

[ T ] art specialized

to treat something, especially photographic material, with chemicals to prevent its colors becoming pale

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Photography

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fix verb (CONVERT GAS)

[ T ] biology specialized

If a plant or bacterium (= a very small organism) fixes a gas, especially nitrogen, it changes it into another form that can be used by the plant:

Clover fixes nitrogen and helps to create rich soils.

fix verb (STOP REPRODUCTION)

[ T ] US informal

to remove the reproductive organs of an animal so that it is unable to produce young animals

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Zoology: veterinary medicine

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fix verb (DRUG)

[ I ] slang

to inject (= put into the body through a needle) an illegal drug:

We saw kids as young as twelve fixing in doorways.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Drugs - general words

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Phrasal verbs

fix something up

fix someone up

fix

noun

/fɪks/ uk

/fɪks/

fix noun (CHEAT)

[ C usually singular ]

a situation in which someone does something dishonest to make certain that a competition, race, or election is won by a particular person:

The result was a fix!

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Fraud & corruption

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fix noun (AWKWARD SITUATION)

[ C usually singular ] informal

an awkward or difficult situation:

in a fix I'm in a bit of a fix with the arrangements.

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Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences

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fix noun (SOLUTION)

a solution to a problem:

She says the problem is not a new one, and the fix would be easy enough for a government to achieve, if it were willing.

quick fix There is no quick fix to the organization's problems.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Solving and solutions

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fix noun (DRUG)

[ C ] slang

an amount of an illegal drug, or of another substance that has an effect on someone:

He was shaking badly and needed a fix.

humorous Ginny needs her daily fix of chocolate.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Drugs - general words

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fix noun (POSITION)

[ C ]

(the calculation of) the position of a vehicle, usually in relation to the earth:

have a fix on Do we still have a fix on that jet?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Calculations & calculating

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General location and orientation

get a fix on something

to discover the exact size, amount, position, etc. of something:

It was hard to get a fix on the exact number of arrivals.

We're trying to get a fix on your position.

Investigators are no closer to getting a fix on the extent of the hacking.

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Knowledge and awareness

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(Definition of fix from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

fix | Intermediate English

fix

verb [ T ]

/fɪks/

fix verb [T] (REPAIR)

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to repair or adjust something:

I’ll fix that broken chair today.

fix verb [T] (ARRANGE)

to arrange or put in place:

I need to fix my hair.

To fix something such as a race or game or an election is to illegally arrange who will win.

fix verb [T] (CHOOSE)

to choose a time or place to do something:

Let’s fix a date for our next meeting.

fix verb [T] (ATTACH)

to attach in order to keep in one place:

Fix the shelf to the wall with screws.

I tried to fix the directions in my mind.

fix verb [T] (PUNISH)

to hurt or punish someone:

I’ll fix you if you come around here taking vegetables from my garden again!

fix verb [T] (PREPARE FOOD)

to cook or prepare food or drink:

Will you fix dinner?

fix verb [T] (STOP REPRODUCTION)

to remove an organ an animal needs to reproduce:

We had our cat fixed.

Phrasal verbs

fix up someone

fix up something

fix

noun

/fɪks/

fix noun (BAD SITUATION)

[ C usually sing ]

a situation causing trouble or problems:

He’s in a fix and needs our help.

fix noun (AMOUNT)

[ C ] slang

an amount of a something that someone needs:

The website supplies me my daily fix of rock and roll facts.

(Definition of fix from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

fix | Business English

fix

verb [ T ]

/fɪks/ us

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to repair something or solve a problem:

They have fixed the bugs in the software.

A restaurant would have 48 hours to fix the problem or the place could be shut down.

MEETINGS mainly UK

(also fix up)

to arrange a time and place for an event such as a meeting:

You should fix an appointment with your bank manager.

I fixed up a meeting with this very powerful person at the BBC.

fix a day/time/place (for sth) The court will fix another day for the hearing.

to agree on a price, level, etc. for something and keep it at that price or level:

Customers can fix the amount they pay each month.

fix sth at sth They fixed the rate of tax at 30%.

ECONOMICS

to agree with other companies that you will all charge the same price for your products and not compete with each other:

Steelmakers deny they fix prices.

fix

noun [ C ]

/fɪks/ us

a way of solving a problem, especially an easy or quick one:

long-term/short-term fix We find short-term fixes, not long-term solutions.

a fix for sth More and more people were using loans as a fix for their financial problems.

There is no quick fix and it will take many months to re-establish profitable sales growth.

a small computer program that can repair a problem with software:

a fix for sth The software developer says it has developed a fix for the problem.

a situation that has been dishonestly arranged by someone in order to get an advantage for themselves:

When we won the contract, some people thought it was a fix.

ECONOMICS

a price, for example, on gold or silver, that is set according to supply and demand:

The London morning gold fix was $1,154.00 versus the previous afternoon fix of $1,139.50.

get a fix on sth

to understand what a situation is like:

Market research helps to get a fix on what customers want.

(Definition of fix from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of fix

fix

Now there's a way to fix that -- but perhaps not in the way you think.

From Voice of America

Meditation is not a quick fix nor can it be.

From CNN

They had to fix premium costs in some way.

From NPR

How would you fix the health care system?

From CNN

Sometimes, fixing your job is the wrong answer.

From Huffington Post

It's not too late to read and fix this.

From CNN

The first world countries get all the benefit without fixing the mess they have caused.

From National Geographic

And so it needs to be fixed because it has to set that new standard.

From New York Post

Generally, the consumer is punished if he or she tries to fix one up instead of buying a new one.

From Huffington Post

Take two quarters, and fix the position of one.

From Ars Technica

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of fix?