fixate

verb

fix·​ate ˈfik-ˌsāt 

fixated; fixating

intransitive verb

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

… the tourist mind tended to fixate on ice cream cones …

—T. Coraghessan Boyle

2

: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development

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

Examples of fixate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Berry struck me as someone who absolutely would fixate on the general worsening direction of things. — Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026

After leaving Ole Miss before their run in the College Football Playoff, all eyes have been fixated on LSU. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

The proximity makes a team’s flaws so obvious, which is why fans sometimes fixate on the three or four major problems with their team rather than highlight the strengths of the group. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

But fixating on carbon in this way carries an unintended consequence. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for fixate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

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