obsess

verb

ob·​sess əb-ˈses How to pronounce obsess (audio)
äb-
obsessed; obsessing; obsesses

transitive verb

: to haunt or excessively preoccupy the mind of
was obsessed with the idea
She was obsessed with her car.

intransitive verb

: to engage in obsessive thinking : become obsessed with an idea
He's always obsessing over money.

Examples of obsess in a Sentence

The war obsesses him—he talks about nothing else. You need to stop obsessing and just deal with the problem.
Recent Examples on the Web But as Samantha mentioned, the film is obsessed with all the wrong elements of Joker’s story, and didn’t really seem interested in Harley Quinn at all. Samantha Allen, Them, 4 Oct. 2024 Teenage trader Riley, who was born in Rockville, Md., was obsessed with stocks at an early age. Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024 Already obsessed with manga at the expense of her friendships, Ayamu is pushed to get even better… until her rival’s comics become so advanced that decides to quit drawing altogether. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2024 The first episode starts out with a spoof about how Walsh descends from a long line of eminent justices, all obsessed with doling out the death penalty. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for obsess 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obsess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, in be obscessed "be tormented by (the Devil, an evil spirit)," borrowed from Latin obsessus, past participle of obsidēre "to sit so as to occupy a position, occupy, frequent, besiege, blockade, beset, assail" (Late Latin, "[of a demon] to possess"), from ob- "toward, facing, against" + sedēre "to sit, be seated" — more at ob-, sit entry 1

Note: This verb in its participle form obsessed is fairly common in early Modern English as a metaphorical extension of its Latin etymon in the sense "besiege, beset," the torment attributed to the Devil being compared to the besieging of a fortress. The same applies to the associated noun obsession. With these meanings the word is sometimes accompanied by its synonyms possessed and possession. From about 1660 to the early nineteenth century obsess and obsession are exceedingly rare in English text outside of dictionaries. They then begin to revive, but without any religious connotation, perhaps stimulated by parallel use in French of obséder and obsession.

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of obsess was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near obsess

Cite this Entry

“Obsess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsess. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

obsess

verb
ob·​sess əb-ˈses How to pronounce obsess (audio)
äb-
: to occupy the mind of completely or abnormally
obsessed with this new scheme

Medical Definition

obsess

transitive verb
ob·​sess əb-ˈses, äb- How to pronounce obsess (audio)
: to preoccupy intensely or abnormally
was obsessed with success

intransitive verb

: to engage in obsessive thinking
solve problems rather than obsess about themCarol Tavris
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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