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to tack together

to tack together

4.7
To join parts quickly in a careless, temporary way
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : unir con chinchetas

Examples

  • The structure was feeble anyhow, made of old, cast-off boards tacked together in a hurry twenty years before, never rebuilt, never renovated, and it came down upon Noonan's head with ease.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The carpenter tacked together the wooden pieces to create a temporary table.

  • She quickly tacked together a makeshift shelter using old tarps and branches.

  • In the workshop, they tacked together the frame before securing it with screws.

Synonyms

to put together
vsto tack together
988 2.8

To make something by joining parts, like a model, plan or team

is more temporary and hasty rather than a solid, planned assembly
to assemble
vsto tack together
169 2.9

To put parts together to make something like a machine or toy

is less stable and more makeshift than a proper assembled whole
to piece
vsto tack together
89 4.2

To join parts together to make something whole

refers specifically to a loose, hastily made joining rather than careful repair
to tack
vsto tack together
30 4.9

Fasten something to a surface with small nails or pins

joins parts loosely or hastily, usually as a temporary fix
to throw together
vsto tack together
  • Informal
22 3.5

Make something quickly without much care or planning

is also quick but specifically means a loose, makeshift joining
to cobble
vsto tack together
  • Informal
21 5.3

To put things together quickly and roughly using what is available

is similar but highlights a loose or hastily made connection
to cobble together
vsto tack together
  • Informal
16 5.2

Make something quickly and roughly from things you have

does the same but stresses a loose, makeshift joining rather than finish
to slap together
vsto tack together
  • Informal
3 6.0

Make something quickly without caring about details

means assembling in a hurried way that results in a temporary fix
to knock together
vsto tack together
  • UK
1 4.9

Make something quickly that will not last long

emphasizes a loose, temporary join more than a finished assembly
to cobble up
vsto tack together
  • Informal
8.2

To make something quickly and roughly using what is available

focuses on assembling parts loosely and temporarily rather than firmly
to fudge together
vsto tack together
  • Informal
7.4

Make something quickly and carelessly using what you have

implies a loose or makeshift joining rather than a careful build
to clap together
vsto tack together
  • UK
6.8

To make something quickly and without care using what you have

stresses a loosely joined, hastily made result rather than durability
to scrunge together
vsto tack together
  • Slang
9.1

To get a small amount of something quickly with little money or time

focuses on a loose, temporary assembly rather than a planned build

Antonyms

To take something apart into separate pieces

How Permanent

to weld
  • Specialized
29 4.6
to fasten
68 1.6
to assemble
169 2.9
to tack together
4.7

Surface Forms

tack together infinitive
tacked together past participle
tacking together present participle
tacks together third person singular

Morphology

tack + together

The core meaning 'to fasten or join together' is directly derivable from combining 'tack' (to fasten/pin) with 'together', so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the basic sense. The extra pragmatic nuance of doing this hastily or temporarily may not be fully predictable, but the compositional joining/fastening sense is transparent.

Etymology

The phrasal verb tack together comes from the simple action of holding pieces with quick stitches or small nails, where the join is only meant to last for a short time. So to tack something together means to join things quickly and roughly, often in a 'temporary' way.