fixes

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of fix.

   The mechanic fixes engines all day long at the garage.

   Whenever a pipe leaks, the landlord fixes it within hours.

   Note

   Spelled exactly like the plural noun, this form pairs with he, she or it, while bare fix serves I, you, we and they. Nearly all the verb's meanings are transitive, so it usually takes a direct object: a mechanic fixes an engine, a chess player fixes an opponent's pawns. The figurative "fixate" meaning is the exception, since it usually appears in the passive (she is fixed on one idea) rather than as fixes.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of fix.

   The software update included several quick fixes for common bugs.

   These temporary fixes won't hold up under heavy use.

   Note

   One spelling covers every noun meaning of fix: repairs, predicaments, slang doses of a drug, cravings satisfied, and rigged contests. The -es ending is there because fix ends in a hissing sound, so a vowel slips in before the plural marker. The identical form is also the present-tense verb (she fixes it), so only the sentence around it tells a plural noun from a verb.

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