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
Housing policy debates fixate on supply without acknowledging the strain placed on families who spend hours each day on the road.
—Christopher Bellingham, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Oral care has focused almost entirely on fluoride for decades, Hoss said, but fixating on any single ingredient misses the real drivers of oral health.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s why companies fixated on presence rather than productivity gains that actually enable an AI-first future are at a disadvantage.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Of course, the internet fixates on the moment, with many TikTok commenters focussing on the age difference between Aaron and his step-daughters Angelica and Jessie Jopling.
—Glamour, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fixate
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Christopher Bellingham, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Oral care has focused almost entirely on fluoride for decades, Hoss said, but fixating on any single ingredient misses the real drivers of oral health.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s why companies fixated on presence rather than productivity gains that actually enable an AI-first future are at a disadvantage.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Of course, the internet fixates on the moment, with many TikTok commenters focussing on the age difference between Aaron and his step-daughters Angelica and Jessie Jopling.
—Glamour, 1 Feb. 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 7 Feb. 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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