fixate

verb

fix·​ate ˈfik-ˌsāt 

fixated; fixating

transitive verb

1

: to make fixed, stationary, or unchanging

2

: to focus one's gaze on

3

: to direct (the libido) toward an infantile form of gratification

intransitive verb

1

: to focus or concentrate one's gaze or attention intently or obsessively

2

: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development

Examples of fixate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their disparate lives seem parallel at first, but when Maddie becomes fixated on Cleo’s mystifying death, a chasm opens that puts everyone around them in danger. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2024

When Maddie becomes fixated on Cleo’s mystifying death, everyone around them is suddenly put in danger. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 18 June 2024

Goldberg's latest probe follows another comical occurrence from the May 2 broadcast, which saw Goldberg and Behar fixating on her skirt during the episode. —EW.com, 30 May 2024

This perspective may be familiar to many in Western capitals, where analysts and policymakers often fixate on the U.S. rivalry with China and the specter of great-power competition. —Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably back-formation from fixation, in part as translation of German fixieren

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Medical Definition

fixate

verb

fix·​ate ˈfik-ˌsāt 

fixated; fixating

transitive verb

1

: to focus one's gaze on

2

: to direct (the libido) toward an infantile form of gratification

intransitive verb

1

: to focus or concentrate one's gaze or attention

an infant with normal vision … will fixate on a light held before him

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: to undergo arrestment at a stage of development