fixated; fixating
1
: to focus or concentrate one's gaze or attention intently or obsessively
… he was fixating on the airport in the distance, trying to find the assigned runway.—
Richard L. Collins
Richard L. Collins… the tourist mind tended to fixate on ice cream cones …—T. Coraghessan Boyle
T. Coraghessan Boyle2
: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development
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
Examples of fixate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even smart organizations that do listen to customers often fixate on willingness to pay, rarely questioning what shapes it or recognizing its limits.
—Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
And one detail everyone is fixating on is Brooklyn Beckham’s claim that his mom, Victoria Beckham, danced inappropriately with him during his wedding to Nicola Peltz.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Jan. 2026
As with any luxury purchase, many fixate on the label and bragging rights of facial restoration.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Jan. 2026
And while people often fixate on union wages, the truth is that the protections matter far more than the pay scale.
—Christine Villabona-Kuntz, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fixate
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Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
And one detail everyone is fixating on is Brooklyn Beckham’s claim that his mom, Victoria Beckham, danced inappropriately with him during his wedding to Nicola Peltz.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Jan. 2026
As with any luxury purchase, many fixate on the label and bragging rights of facial restoration.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Jan. 2026
And while people often fixate on union wages, the truth is that the protections matter far more than the pay scale.
—Christine Villabona-Kuntz, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fixate
Cite this Entry
“Fixate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fixate. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fixate
verb
fix·ate
ˈfik-ˌsāt 
fixated; fixating
1
: to focus one's gaze on
2
: to direct (the libido) toward an infantile form of gratification
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
The Journal of the American Medical Association2
: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development
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