FIXATE Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

fixate

verb

Definition of fixate

as in to gaze

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fixate Cancer Nostalgia for former flames or fixating on someone else’s expectations can keep you from genuine romantic fulfillment. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026 The Water element has everything to do with our emotions and intuition, while the Fixed modality is known to fixate, quite literally. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026 Berry struck me as someone who absolutely would fixate on the general worsening direction of things. — Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026 After leaving Ole Miss before their run in the College Football Playoff, all eyes have been fixated on LSU. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fixate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixate

Verb

Those who fall short have to be satisfied with simply gazing at the destination from the parking lot.

— Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
But to gaze upon those towering trees from a slow train with a stiff drink in your hand — that’s something else entirely.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of gaze

Verb

Walking into a room to do some task or other, they’ll get stuck obsessively staring at the door hinges.

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
One man, summing up the shock, anger and frustration for everyone, stared straight ahead and at one in particular, gathering up whatever air was left in his lungs and yelled one more f-bomb for good measure.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of stare

Verb

Shares of CoreWeave slid nearly 12% on Friday and dropped roughly 24% this week as investors nervously eye its mounting debt.

— Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
The book was at one point set up for feature development at Universal and in the late 2010s was being eyed as a series.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of eye

Verb

Legislators in at least 30 states have considered pricing bills this year, including measures addressing algorithmic and personalized pricing, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Changing expectations or considering proposals without comparable information undermines confidence in both the process and its recommendations.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of consider

Verb

Halpin watched the ball clear the wall in right-center then launched his bat over his head and into the sky before rounding the bases.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Nevertheless, watching a sports car flip upside down and land on cold-gas jets was proof enough that flying cars are moving out of science fiction and onto the runway.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of watch

Verb

The film opens with Tenzing as a boy, gawking at Mount Everest, which looms across the valley like Godzilla.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Closer still to the falls, the mist is heavy enough to drench the sightseers stopping to gawk at the spectacle from viewing points, or on slippery pathways between the various lookouts.

— Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of gawk

Verb

The family arrived in style in the royal family’s Rolls-Royce to observe the annual military parade in Madrid from the grandstand on Paseo del Prado boulevard.

— Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
In observing the data, the chart analyst wrote that the median time remaining before a cycle reached its peak was 13 months, which suggests 2027 could be the final leg of the run.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of observe

Verb

Created by Sorkin, the beloved NBC series ran from 1999 to 2006 and is widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
The conflicting signals have complicated the expectations game regarding the Federal Reserve's next move.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of regard

Browse Nearby Words

fixable

fixate

fixated

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Fixate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fixate

verb

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