gravitate

[grav-i-teyt]

verb (used without object)

gravitated, gravitating 

1. to move or tend to move under the influence of gravitational force.

2. to tend toward the lowest level; sink; fall.

3. to have a natural tendency or be strongly attracted (usually followed by to ortoward ).

   Musicians gravitate toward one another.

   Synonyms: move, lean, tend, incline

gravitate

/ ˈɡrævɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. physics to move under the influence of gravity

2. to be influenced or drawn, as by strong impulses

3. to sink or settle

Other Word Forms

• gravitater noun
• supergravitate verb (used without object)
• ungravitating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gravitate¹

First recorded in 1635–45; from New Latin gravitātus (past participle of gravitāre “to obey the laws of gravitation,” coined by Sir Isaac Newton ); gravity, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

A born entertainer who had no ideology to sell or bourgeois morality to promote, he gravitated to theater as the most exhilarating form of debate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At a farmers market, mushrooms are still the thing I’m guaranteed to gravitate to.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Instead of traveling, dining out with friends or upgrading electronics, many gravitate toward streaming services, casual mobile games, instant food, budget beauty products and home-comfort items.

Read more on MarketWatch

“Not just about the space and the customer segment that really gravitates toward that sort of product, but about the financial health.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The study also found that wealthier people tend to gravitate toward concierge practices more than sick people—and they enter with lifelong health advantages.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• drift 
• incline 
• lean 
• tend