fixate

verb

fix·​ate ˈfik-ˌsāt 

fixated; fixating

transitive verb

1

: to make fixed, stationary, or unchanging

2

: to focus one's gaze on

3

: to direct (the libido) toward an infantile form of gratification

intransitive verb

1

: to focus or concentrate one's gaze or attention intently or obsessively

2

: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development

Examples of fixate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All of these rare or unprecedented features of last week’s action tie back to the key characteristic investors have been fixated on for months: the profound concentration of market value in a tight cluster of the largest stocks. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 13 July 2024

For all the morons fixated on President Biden mixing up names tonight, answer me this: Who is Tim Apple? —Koh Ewe, TIME, 12 July 2024

Social media has made this a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, and the fan base understandably is fixated on the team’s inability to construct a roster with the talent to match the league’s elite. Take a step back, and the view here is some of the criticism is warranted and some isn’t. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 July 2024

Some fixate on nightmare scenarios about the country descending into civil war. —John Blake, CNN, 22 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably back-formation from fixation, in part as translation of German fixieren

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Medical Definition

fixate

verb

fix·​ate ˈfik-ˌsāt 

fixated; fixating

transitive verb

1

: to focus one's gaze on

2

: to direct (the libido) toward an infantile form of gratification

intransitive verb

1

: to focus or concentrate one's gaze or attention

an infant with normal vision … will fixate on a light held before him

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development