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
This is Leeds taking care of today, rather than fixating on tomorrow and the potential of a player.
—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
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
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixating
Verb
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In Taiwan, a student sitting for an entrance exam for a top medical school was discovered wearing smart glasses after proctors noticed the student staring oddly at the test, leading to an inspection that revealed the frame was emitting heat.
-
Three stories, three separate sets of receipts, with one through line worth staring at until a clearer view emerges.
Verb
-
Isn’t that what any of us wants when gazing into the mirror held up to nature, as Hamlet describes the theater?
-
Soul gazing The following morning, the participants wake up with maybe the clearest heads in Nashville.
Verb
-
Instead, the skin-frying Friday saw common flow of people going through, gawking at the large screens and a group of sailors allowing some passing by to do pull-ups from a bar.
-
The walk to the stadium is a mile or so along the Alaskan Way, where restaurants like the Crab Pot are opening up, but everyone is gawking at the street spectacle.
Verb
-
An 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell is peering into his Zoom camera, hands pressed to his cheeks and mouth wide open in mock shock.
-
Indeed, undeterred by the danger of military patrols and unforgiving conditions, the football obsessives resort to everything from stealing government electricity to peering through enemies’ windows to catch a glimpse of the game single-handedly won by the less problematic Ronaldo.
Verb
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Among the celebrities watching from VIP boxes were Shakira and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham.
-
With a holiday weekend around the corner, most people are thinking about watching fireworks or sitting out on the beach.
Verb
-
Research shows that 71% of leaders are under severe stress, with 40% eyeing the exit.
-
Now, more and more Americans are eyeing up new lives south of the equator.
Verb
-
July’s Milky Way Window The most important observing period of July begins after the last-quarter moon on July 7 and continues through the nights around new moon on July 14.
-
On this recent summer Sunday, Tania Santiago Perez is sitting poolside, observing the Swim Buddies lessons.
Verb
-
The gaping wound in his torso was stuffed with a cigarette butt and the murder weapon, a paring knife.
-
The 400 itself was replaced by the 500 a couple of years back, and that meant Kawasaki had a gaping gap in its sportsbike lineup.
Cite this Entry
“Fixating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixating. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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