as in gazes
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?
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Recent Examples of fixates
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
When a person fixates on a target, their retina captures visual information and sends it to the brain via the optic nerve.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Annie, who was abandoned by her mother, fixates on the idea of finding her once again.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Her character, Agnes, is introduced to these ideas after connecting with Peter, a Gulf War veteran who fixates on a bug problem in her hotel room as part of a larger theory about surveillance.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
Who would blame them for assuming that a woman who fixates on where her novels are placed at an airport bookstore cares about money and material things?
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
The video shows Zarutska sit in a seat in front of Brown, who fixates on her and after several minutes pulls out a knife and stabs her several times in the neck, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2025
During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Glamour, 1 Feb. 2026
When a person fixates on a target, their retina captures visual information and sends it to the brain via the optic nerve.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Annie, who was abandoned by her mother, fixates on the idea of finding her once again.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Her character, Agnes, is introduced to these ideas after connecting with Peter, a Gulf War veteran who fixates on a bug problem in her hotel room as part of a larger theory about surveillance.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
Who would blame them for assuming that a woman who fixates on where her novels are placed at an airport bookstore cares about money and material things?
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
The video shows Zarutska sit in a seat in front of Brown, who fixates on her and after several minutes pulls out a knife and stabs her several times in the neck, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2025
During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixates
Verb
-
Anna Karina, the star, gazes off to the left.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Curving around the glistening, glacial Sarmiento Lake, an amphitheater of rooms gazes up at the Paine massif, with scenes constantly shifting depending on the time of day.—
Sarah Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When Robbie first strokes the plush walls, her Cathy stares with the appropriate mix of awe and terror.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
-
As Ji Seon stares in shock, her friends cheer in the background, chanting at her to say yes, ha.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Subsequently, the filmmaker became enamored with airplanes and transferred that same fascination onto Lil Ant, who eyes the planes overhead with palpable yearning and, at one point, shoplifts a toy plane from a store.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Talarico’s numbers are notable and underscore the Senate Democratic primary will be hard-fought as the party eyes the chance to flip a Senate seat in the Lone Star State.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
English considers that mindset both a blessing and a curse, maybe even something that occasionally holds Yuran back.—
Noah Poser,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Along with its impressive shade range, MAC’s pencil has two more features Radow considers key.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Serpell observes that even Pecola thrills to eruptions of beauty on a familiar rundown street that otherwise go unseen.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
-
But Stanzin observes that the speed and planning in infrastructure projects in India are in sharp contrast to those visible in Chinese villages across the border.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Satanic Slasher's got a heck of a body count already when he’s pulled over by cops for a routine traffic stop, and Kansas highway patrol officer Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell) watches her husband get gunned down in cold blood in front of her.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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Keen observers, Anglophiles, and anyone who watches movies made before 1972 will notice more than a casual similarity to Kind Hearts and Coronets, the old Ealing comedy in which an enterprising young Dennis Price attempts to off his relatives in order to claim the family fortune.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Straitjacketed inside the inescapable present, Pearl gapes up to discover that her husband, Walker, has found her; Walker was always going to find her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe somebody blinks and the Rangers get a better result.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Between scenes, for instance, the illuminated proscenium blinks ominously, as if in code.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fixates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixates. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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