as in staring
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 fixating
People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.
—
Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Trump began fixating on beef prices last fall, proposing in October 2025 to increase Argentine beef imports, drawing pushback from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Republican senators from cattle states.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Rather than fixating on what was lost or what could come next, Park made a conscious decision to focus on what was in front of her.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 11 May 2026
But Adams had a habit of fixating on his mistakes.
—New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Perhaps, then, fixating on the ground rules, like Nelson did, isn’t the right approach.
—Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Worrying about chip speed is like fixating on a car’s horsepower; most people will never even come close to needing maximum power or speed.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Hormendy also cautioned the media about fixating on distraction.
—Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
No surprise, then, that Kim is initially skeptical of Sean’s conspiracy theories, assuming her aimless husband to be fixating on trivial nonsense.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Trump began fixating on beef prices last fall, proposing in October 2025 to increase Argentine beef imports, drawing pushback from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Republican senators from cattle states.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Rather than fixating on what was lost or what could come next, Park made a conscious decision to focus on what was in front of her.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 11 May 2026
But Adams had a habit of fixating on his mistakes.
—New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Perhaps, then, fixating on the ground rules, like Nelson did, isn’t the right approach.
—Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Worrying about chip speed is like fixating on a car’s horsepower; most people will never even come close to needing maximum power or speed.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Hormendy also cautioned the media about fixating on distraction.
—Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
No surprise, then, that Kim is initially skeptical of Sean’s conspiracy theories, assuming her aimless husband to be fixating on trivial nonsense.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixating
Verb
-
The Knicks, staring basketball death in eye-to-eye, closed the third quarter on a 25-11 run.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
Arredondo refused, staring at the man with tears welling up in his eyes.—
Maria Aguilar Prieto,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Spieth was one year removed from his third major victory at age 24, and Brown was 10, gazing up at his golfing idol in awe — the wunderkind speaking to a soon-to-be sensation in his own right.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
As a scorching wind tears across the barren, rocky slopes of Komote Island off the shore of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, Alfred Lenkutuk sits in the meager shelter of his hut, gazing out over the village where he was born and remembering better times.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Shoppers are gawking at their climbing receipts as food costs continue to climb.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
-
This seemingly reflexive action of whipping out their phones while gawking and filming isn’t a novel occurrence.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Cruising thousands of feet above the ground, peering out of the airplane window at the world below, and pinpointing all of the green football, baseball and soccer fields sprawled below.—
Shaun Goodwin
May 25,
Idaho Statesman,
25 May 2026
-
Qassem and Ali moved through every room, peering into corners, opening doors.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Some of those same fans were present Monday evening, watching the national team through gaps in the outer fence around Rock Chalk Park or holding their phones above the fence to take pictures and video.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
-
Boxed out of the free watch party at Bryant Park that some attendees said sold out in one minute, a handful of fans are watching together on a tablet.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Buyers who’d been eyeing Central Coast properties for years suddenly had the flexibility, and the urgency, to act.—
Lindsey Harn,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
Both are produced at the Volvo factory near Charleston, South Carolina, which Geely is eying to expand to produce more EVs.—
Bob Woods,
CNBC,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Then be sure to read our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the night sky, along with our beginner's guide to observing the moon!—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
-
The development of this model came from observing a recurring gap.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The reality of having a curvy body type is that gaping is really hard to avoid when shopping for jeans.—
Essence Wiley,
InStyle,
3 June 2026
-
The depth, accuracy and topspin act as the last push, off the cliff and into the gaping ravine below.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fixating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixating. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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