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
And one detail everyone is fixating on is Brooklyn Beckham’s claim that his mom, Victoria Beckham, danced inappropriately with him during his wedding to Nicola Peltz.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Jan. 2026
The benefit only kicks in when sensitivity is accompanied by the capacity for processing and moving on without fixating on the information.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Many New Year’s resolutions fail not because people lack motivation, but because fixating on a goal can initiate a self-defeating cycle of avoidance.
—Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Your task in 2026 is to stop fixating on how money will come and start embodying the version of yourself who already has it.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 23 Dec. 2025
The boy grew restless during the screening, instead fixating on topics like his drawing skills or the lack of toys in the facility, according to his parents.
—Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025
Rather than remaining solely fixating on loafers, the releases are evolving with mash-up models like mary jane sneakers and Kith’s fusion of the Clarks Wallabee with Adidas technology.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Dec. 2025
Parasocially fixating on microcelebrities who want their money.
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Delivering solid financial growth has become more important than ever for Netflix as management has steered investors from fixating on how many subscribers its service gains from one quarter to the next.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Jan. 2026
The benefit only kicks in when sensitivity is accompanied by the capacity for processing and moving on without fixating on the information.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Many New Year’s resolutions fail not because people lack motivation, but because fixating on a goal can initiate a self-defeating cycle of avoidance.
—Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Your task in 2026 is to stop fixating on how money will come and start embodying the version of yourself who already has it.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 23 Dec. 2025
The boy grew restless during the screening, instead fixating on topics like his drawing skills or the lack of toys in the facility, according to his parents.
—Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025
Rather than remaining solely fixating on loafers, the releases are evolving with mash-up models like mary jane sneakers and Kith’s fusion of the Clarks Wallabee with Adidas technology.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Dec. 2025
Parasocially fixating on microcelebrities who want their money.
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Delivering solid financial growth has become more important than ever for Netflix as management has steered investors from fixating on how many subscribers its service gains from one quarter to the next.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixating
Verb
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With his team staring at a seven-point halftime deficit and a three-game losing streak in the SEC, Texas basketball coach Sean Miller didn’t mince words about the importance of the second half in Saturday’s 87-67 win Georgia.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Jan. 2026
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Actor Matt Manuel, who is currently staring in the Off-Broadway production of Spelling Bee, weighed in on the topic of theater etiquette.—
Emma Kershaw,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If star-gazing and vintage glamping sound dreamy, head to Camp Kettlewood.—
Sarah Miller,
Midwest Living,
13 Jan. 2026
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By day, visitors can hike, cycle, and view ancient petroglyphs left behind by the area's Indigenous Northern Paiute people, before spending the night gazing up at the twinkling canopy.—
Elizabeth Rhodes,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If gawking at celebrities is your thing.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
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Here, astronomers are gawking at a radio signal that appears crudely on the screen like a crooked game of Pong but turns out to be a line of data repeated every 78 seconds from 600 light-years away.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2002, the Sanctuarium started to appear on the skyline, peering down like the Eye of Sauron.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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The Ring doorbell showed someone peering through the camera, but no one answered.—
Allen Devlin,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Neuroscience has long shown that watching another person experience pain activates the same neural regions as experiencing pain ourselves.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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And there’s Faithfull, watching her past paraded before her with an amused smile and a sense of high irony still intact.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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However, showrunner Allen MacDonald teased to TV Line in December 2025 that Charles is eying the idea.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Quince Mongolian Cashmere Polo Sweater Premium cashmere is still king here, with many Italians eyeing their favorite Italian cashmere brands and waiting for sales to purchase new styles.—
Nneya Richards,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That dynamic allowed Fassaert to inject a hefty dose of humor in the film, closely observing the bickering between the two brothers.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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After observing 13 billion LHC collisions, Lee and the team identified around 2,000 instances in which a Z-boson was produced.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Recent events suggest that the gaping hole where the East Wing once was may lie there exposed, undeveloped, and contested for quite some time.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
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Getty Images The Mets finally filled the gaping hole in center field.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fixating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixating. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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