fixed

FIKST/fɪkst/

11 meanings of fixed

Practice

1
set (amount)adjective
Set in a way that cannot be changed or varied.
Members pay a fixed annual fee that stays the same year after year.
The schedule is fixed and cannot be altered once published.
UsageCommon in set phrases before a noun: fixed price, fixed rate, fixed income.
Similarunchangeable, invariable, unalterable, immutable
Oppositevariable
Note
Much of its everyday work is done in set phrases: fixed prices, fixed hours, a fixed salary. These are terms agreed in advance and held there, and their plain opposite is variable. Applied to minds and faces, the word hardens. Fixed ideas are beliefs that will not shift, and a fixed glare does not waver, which brings it close to the "held in place" meaning.
2
working againadjective
Repaired or corrected, so that it works again or is no longer a problem.
With the leak finally fixed, the basement stayed dry all winter.
The heater is finally fixed, so the office is warm again for the first time in weeks.
UsageOften get or have something fixed when someone else repairs it: we got the car fixed.
3
attachedadjective
Fastened or set firmly in place so that it cannot move.
The bracket is fixed firmly to the beam and bears the full load.
Solar panels fixed to the roof feed power back into the grid.
UsageUsually fixed to a wall or beam, or fixed in place.
4
verb
Simple past and past participle of fix, used as a verb for the act of fixing something in any of its senses, such as repairing, fastening, or arranging it.
The technician fixed the server before the morning rush.
He has fixed every problem the customers reported.
Note
One regular spelling serves both the past tense (she fixed it) and the participle after have and be (it has been fixed). The passive keeps a figurative use alive: to be fixed on an idea is to have one's mind set on it, close to fixated. In colloquial American English the same form reports a pet's surgery, as in "the cat has been fixed."
5
adjective
Stable and unlikely to change.
She holds fixed opinions that no argument seems to shift.
After years of sleeping on friends' couches, he finally had a fixed address and a steady job.
Similarstable, steady, consistent, regular, permanent
Oppositevolatile

Less common meanings

6
riggedadjective
Dishonestly arranged in advance so that the outcome is not genuine.
Investigators concluded the election was fixed, with votes counted in secret.
Everyone suspected the game was fixed when the favorite lost on purpose.
Similarrigged, crooked, fraudulent
Oppositefair, honest, legitimate, genuine
7
neuteredadjectivecolloquial
Made unable to reproduce by surgery, as when a pet is spayed or neutered.
The vet recommended getting the puppy fixed before six months.
All the rescue animals are fixed before they go to new homes.
UsageUsually after get or have: get the dog fixed. In formal writing, say spayed or neutered.
Similarneutered, sterilized
Oppositeintact
8
suppliedadjectivecolloquial
Provided with what one needs, such as money or resources.
With a full pantry, they were comfortably fixed for the long winter.
He retired well fixed, with savings enough to travel.
UsageUsually after an adverb (well fixed, comfortably fixed) or with for: How are you fixed for money?
Oppositelacking, wanting
9
recordedadjective
Recorded on a lasting physical medium so that it can be perceived again.
Copyright protects a work only after it is fixed in a tangible form.
An improvised speech is not fixed until someone records it.
Similarrecorded, captured
Oppositeunrecorded
Note
In United States copyright law, fixation is the moment an otherwise copyrightable work becomes protectable: a work is fixed once it is embodied, by or under the author's authority, in a tangible medium stable enough to be perceived or copied for more than a passing moment. For sound recordings, the date the sounds were fixed matters, and February 15, 1972 has long marked the line for federal copyright.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
This should specify U.S. copyright law and an otherwise copyrightable work. Fixation is not a universal requirement. wipo.int
The permanence requirement is correctly paraphrased, but the embodiment must also be made by or under the authority of the author. copyright.gov
February 15, 1972 is a longstanding boundary in U.S. federal copyright treatment of sound recordings, determined by fixation. copyright.gov
10
stable (chemistry)adjective
Resistant to chemical change; stable and not readily volatilized by heat.
Soapmakers rely on fixed oils such as coconut and olive oil, which stay in the bar instead of evaporating like scented oils.
A fixed oil does not evaporate at room temperature, unlike a volatile one.
Similarstable
Oppositevolatile
Note
Chemists use it as the partner of volatile: a fixed substance stays put when heated rather than passing off as vapor. Older chemistry built names on the pair, calling a non-volatile carbonate fixed alkali and ammonia volatile alkali. The contrast survives in fixed oil, an oil that does not evaporate. Stability here means staying put under heat rather than evaporating, not merely staying the same.
11
adjective
Belonging to the group of zodiac signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, which are linked with permanence, stability, and preservation.

fixed is a form of fix

fix, verb: To mend or repair something that is broken or not working. Full entry

Forms: fixfixes he/she/itfixing -ing formfixed past tense, past participle
Spelling: fix → fixed: add -ed
Sound: The ending sounds like /t/.

Practice

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