We bind a sheaf of wheat with a cord; we tie the cord in a knot; we fasten by any means that will make things hold together, as a board by nails, or a door by a lock. The verbs tie and fasten are scarcely used in the figurative sense, tho, using the noun, we speak of the ties of affection.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

secure The fortress was secure from every kind of attack.
tie I'm sorry, sir, but a jacket and tie are required.
attach You need to attach a white garter belt underneath.
bind I'm forever lost, can't you see? I'm in a bind!
belt You need to attach a white garter belt underneath.
tighten Yanni doesn't have to tighten the screws too much.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
fasten		steady
secure		steady
tie		steady
attach		steady
bind		rising
belt		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: fix¹, tie¹
4 letters: join¹, shut¹, camp¹, lock¹, hook¹, belt¹, seal¹, bind¹, tack¹
5 letters: catch¹, stick¹, unite², strap¹, cling¹, hitch¹, rivet², affix², belay
6 letters: secure², attach², tether², pinion²
7 letters: connect², tighten², grapple²
9 letters: barricade³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (unite² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: fixer
Deutsch: festsetzen
Català: fixar