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
Threat hunts often risk tunnel vision — fixating on a single artifact or path.
—
Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The trio regrouped with nearly a dozen other musicians in the studio, fixating on improvisation.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
In the New York Times, Schmidt—yes that same guy who was talking up AGI in April—urged Silicon Valley to stop fixating on superhuman AI, warning that the obsession distracts from building useful technology.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
Some lottery players take their time carefully picking their tickets, fixating on the right set of numbers.
—Daniella Segura, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2025
Europe is right to increase defense spending, but fixating on defense budgets alone can obscure important decisions about how to best spend the money.
—Michael E. O’Hanlon, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
Intentionally or not, some people missed the point, fixating on whether Jews could accurately be called Semites or insisting that Arabs were also Semites — given that Arabic, like Hebrew, is a Semitic language — and therefore couldn’t be considered antisemitic.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2025
For example, instead of fixating on the specifics of an algorithm, focus on how the AI solution will achieve a specific business objective, such as reducing processing times by 20% or improving customer satisfaction scores.
—Navdeep Malik, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
This reviewer loves a good montage, and these ones brought it back to acting instead of fixating too much on the year’s films and TV (which still had plenty of opportunity to shine).
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The trio regrouped with nearly a dozen other musicians in the studio, fixating on improvisation.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
In the New York Times, Schmidt—yes that same guy who was talking up AGI in April—urged Silicon Valley to stop fixating on superhuman AI, warning that the obsession distracts from building useful technology.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
Some lottery players take their time carefully picking their tickets, fixating on the right set of numbers.
—Daniella Segura, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2025
Europe is right to increase defense spending, but fixating on defense budgets alone can obscure important decisions about how to best spend the money.
—Michael E. O’Hanlon, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
Intentionally or not, some people missed the point, fixating on whether Jews could accurately be called Semites or insisting that Arabs were also Semites — given that Arabic, like Hebrew, is a Semitic language — and therefore couldn’t be considered antisemitic.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2025
For example, instead of fixating on the specifics of an algorithm, focus on how the AI solution will achieve a specific business objective, such as reducing processing times by 20% or improving customer satisfaction scores.
—Navdeep Malik, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
This reviewer loves a good montage, and these ones brought it back to acting instead of fixating too much on the year’s films and TV (which still had plenty of opportunity to shine).
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixating
Verb
-
At the end of a disastrous season, the New York Mets are staring at a lot of obstacles.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The teacher noticed Aburto Guzman take his laptop out of his red backpack, place it on the table and begin staring outside the window, according to an interview with police.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Teresa could be seen gazing up at her husband, placing a hand under her stomach.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Stay here for several breaths, sending the tailbone high, gazing toward the navel, and pressing your heels gently toward the mat.—
Julia Eskins,
Outside,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the cringe-comedy antics of the original NBC series landed far better in Season 3 than in Season 1, once audiences began to truly love the characters instead of just gawking at them.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Nunn has a divided audience, as the Baddies show is fueled with drama, with Jerry Springer style fights to keep viewers gawking.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Gunshots slicing through the air from above sent visitors running for cover or peering out of their cars to investigate – some worried for family members inside the facility.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Success was both exhilarating and terrifying; his sister Pam recalls paparazzi peering into their parents’ kitchen.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Someone watching Earth from this vantage point would have no way of predicting that intelligent life would someday emerge on this water-rich world.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Azarakhsh Jalalvand of Princeton University, the paper’s lead author, compares the concept to an AI watching a silent movie and generating a full soundtrack purely from the visual information.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sources say Bizzarri is eyeing additional investments in fashion.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Wole, eying Sylvester in the rearview, asked about his plans for college, about the high-school basketball team.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Health inspectors cited the liquor store after observing a lack of paper towels and hand soap at the handwashing station.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
While Piaget was certainly correct in observing that children engage in a host of unusual behaviors, my lab recently uncovered evidence that upends some long-standing assumptions about the limits of children’s logical capabilities that originated with his work.—
Celeste Kidd,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In an Instagram clip shared by the NBA, McMillian — who went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft — is caught on camera gaping at superstar Curry, who was posing for pictures for the team's media day.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
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The death of Charlie Kirk has left a gaping hole in the new-right media eco-system.—
Clara Molot,
Air Mail,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fixating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixating. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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