fixates

present tense third-person singular of fixate
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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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 fixates 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 Nobody knows why this man is laughing or crying, while Mariano fixates on the man’s single floating tear, lovely and precise, its purpose and origin a mystery. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixates
Verb
  • Fitzgerald stands at the center while Gillespie gazes at her, flanked by other musicians.
    Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In the next, her husband looks on lovingly while their toddler gazes at the baby with joy, curiosity and awe.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • What could pass as a city transit map stares back at you.
    William O'Connor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In the picture, Diplo makes a silly face while Trudeau stares straight into the camera.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • If the Phillies end up losing Schwarber to free agency, bringing in an All-Star like Tucker long term would be a great addition as the team eyes a return to the playoffs next season.
    Shaun McAvoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Pozzo also eyes a reprise of collaborations, which over the years have seen Wolford partnering with brands such as Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Missoni, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Adidas, GCDS and Sergio Rossi, to cite a few.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Mayer resurfaces throughout Lasky’s Memory—regarding her photographs or poems or a pithy quotation—while Lasky considers the memories of her own life.
    Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The organization keeps the food banks in a rotation so distributions go out evenly, although the nonprofit also considers which pantries are most in need.
    Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • But for monkeys in captivity, Hribal observes, freedom becomes an abiding preoccupation.
    Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
  • And not everywhere observes daylight saving.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • His wife, Genevieve Padalecki, often watches the show with their 8-year-old daughter Odette, who has almost all good things to say about it.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Glen Powell, naked except for a towel, dangles from a rope eight stories in the air in below-freezing Bulgaria as director Edgar Wright watches from the ground in a parka, sipping an espresso.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Whichever side blinks is considered cowardly by the media, but probably not by the voters.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The green Christmas light blinks in horror.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a federal judge Friday to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The law regards grocery stores in Arizona as food establishments, subject to health inspections, and the county cited 20 of them with the most serious violations in October.
    Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 30 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Fixates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixates. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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