Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person or thing that is firmly established in a particular place or situation: A fixture is something or someone that is always present in a specific location or role, often to the point of being considered a permanent or expected feature.
   • An object permanently attached to a building or land: In legal and property contexts, a fixture is an item that was once movable but has been attached or installed in such a way that it becomes part of the real property.
   • A scheduled sporting event: In sports, a fixture is a game or match that is arranged to be played on a particular date, often as part of a league or tournament schedule.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Established person/thing):
  • The old oak table was a fixture in the family kitchen for generations.
  • Professor Jones is a fixture at the university; he's been teaching there for forty years.
• Noun (Attached object):
  • Light fixtures and built-in bookshelves are considered part of the house when it is sold.
  • The antique chandelier is a valuable fixture and cannot be removed by the previous owners.
• Noun (Sports event):
  • The team has a busy fixture list this month, with three important matches.
  • Next Saturday's fixture against our rivals is sold out.

Advanced Usage

• "To become a fixture": To become a permanent or regular feature of a place or situation.
  • The small café quickly became a fixture in the neighborhood.
• In legal contexts: The distinction between a fixture (attached to property) and a chattel (movable possession) is crucial in real estate law.
  • The dispute was over whether the greenhouse was a fixture or personal property.

Variants and Related Words

• Fix (verb): To make firm, stable, or stationary.
• Fixed (adjective): Securely placed or fastened; not subject to change.
• Fixtures and fittings (noun phrase): A collective term for items attached to a building, such as lights, cabinets, and plumbing.

Synonyms

• Permanent feature: An unchanging element of a place.
• Institution: A person or custom long established in a place (for people).
• Fitting: An item attached to a building (e.g., electrical fitting).
• Match or game: A sports contest (for the sporting sense).

Related Phrases

• Part and parcel: An essential part of something (often used to describe something that is a fixture).
  • Community meetings are part and parcel of village life; they're a real fixture.

Idioms

• A fixture on the landscape: Something or someone that is a very familiar and established part of a place.
  • The historic clock tower is a fixture on the town's landscape.

Noun

1. the act of putting something in working order again
2. the quality of being fixed in place as by some firm attachment
3. a regular patron
   • an habitue of the racetrack
   • a bum who is a Central Park fixture
4. an object firmly fixed in place (especially in a household)