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
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
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
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Around unexpected corners, the ocean gazes at you, a bold stranger.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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In the 2022 snippet, the toddler gazes at the stage from his father’s arms in a pair of headphones.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Another stares straight ahead, revealing no emotion, a mystery deepened by the bags under her eyes and the safety pin stabbed through her nose.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
13 Dec. 2025
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In making the documentary, Craig stayed true to his and his brother’s body of work, which stares with unblinking eyes at the repercussions of violence.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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However, if the governing body eyes a group of six or seven, Aledo could stay with the Dallas-Fort Worth teams, as the Bearcats are farther east than Weatherford and Granbury.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Dec. 2025
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For the Colts, the injury is a massive loss as the team eyes a playoff spot.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Modern medical sociology ultimately considers all societal issues to be health issues.—
Jennifer Singh,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
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Anne Enright considers the aesthetics of Zohran Mamdani’s digital campaign.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Warraich observes that enterprises cannot be expected to overhaul existing infrastructure to adopt autonomous capabilities.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Ehrenreich observes that the characters are isolated in their trauma; they are rarely seen sitting at a table talking through conflict with a spouse, but rather navigating the disaster completely alone.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In episode six, Max and Holly find the memory that Henry has been hiding from, and while Max kind of ignores it, Holly hangs back and watches how Henry is affected by having killed that man.—
Derek Lawrence,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Jan. 2026
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Scarlett makes drawings of Jesus protecting her Papa and watches TikTok videos about saying goodbye.—
Carol Guzy,
Miami Herald,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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No one blinks an eye today at the kind of vivacious, confident woman Margaret Avery portrayed in The Color Purple.—
Diedre Johnson,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Dec. 2025
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Whichever side blinks is considered cowardly by the media, but probably not by the voters.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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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 11 Jan. 2026.
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