fixate

Definition of fixatenext
as in to gaze
to look at or think about something constantly; to give all of your attention to something
usually + on or upon
The cat was fixated on a small hole in the wall. Why do journalists fixate on scandals?

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fixate Don’t fixate on a magic number. Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026 The wave of record-breaking public offerings for AI megacompanies that has Wall Street fixated this week is also buoying energy startups that see a chance to win back investors’ favor after the disappointing climate tech boom of the early 2020s. Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 June 2026 Though the bot sometimes suggested calling helplines, the lawsuit alleges that GPT-4o mostly allowed Alice space to fixate on her dark thoughts, in one instance even deriding suicide hotlines after Alice rejected the idea of calling one. Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 11 June 2026 People often fixate on one sentence and miss everything else, Mahlum says. Angela Haupt, Time, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for fixate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixate
Verb
  • An 1812 portrait by Thomas Sully presented him with a long, downturned nose and corners of his mouth to match, leaning on one hand at his desk and gazing over the pages of an open book.
    Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • Terrion Arnold walked across the draft stage in Detroit in April 2024, gazed out at a then-record crowd after being selected by the host city’s franchise and delivered a message to Lions fans tuning in to see their newest addition.
    Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Now, yes, staring at the ceiling long enough to draw you a diagram of the paint peeling.
    Danielle Parker, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • In Taiwan, a student sitting for an entrance exam for a top medical school was discovered wearing smart glasses after proctors noticed the student staring oddly at the test, leading to an inspection that revealed the frame was emitting heat.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • However, the finale shows Oreana eyeing the positive results of a pregnancy test before asking Carter to run away together and start over.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The Swift operations team at Penn State University’s Eberly College of Science has reduced power usage and steered the observatory to eye the cosmos from a more streamlined position.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.
    Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026
  • Should Portugal have rested Ronaldo against Colombia, considering Portugal entered Saturday’s match already assured of advancing to the knockout stage?
    Anthony Chiang June 27, Miami Herald, 28 June 2026
Verb
  • San Clemente, San Juan Hills, Huntington Beach, Downey and Carson are the teams to watch.
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Viewers can watch on ABC, ABC News Live, the ESPN App, Freeform, FX and National Geographic.
    Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • Instead, the skin-frying Friday saw common flow of people going through, gawking at the large screens and a group of sailors allowing some passing by to do pull-ups from a bar.
    Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The walk to the stadium is a mile or so along the Alaskan Way, where restaurants like the Crab Pot are opening up, but everyone is gawking at the street spectacle.
    Simon Hughes, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • At a hearing on June 24 observed by The Times, 14 immigrants didn’t make their appointment, and were ordered removable by the end of the day.
    Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Marine Service, global ocean temperatures outside the polar regions hit record levels on June 21, surpassing levels for the time of the year observed in both 2023 and 2024.
    Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • That means Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, is coming to the Metroplex.
    Jim Barnes July 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2026
  • In that case, the city issued 22 subpoenas to financial and social media companies seeking information regarding the two instructors and their associates, according to court documents.
    Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fixate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on fixate

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster