obsess

[uhb-ses]

verb (used with object)

1. to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally.

   Suspicion obsessed him.

   Synonyms: haunt, control, possess

verb (used without object)

1. to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.

obsess

/ əbˈsɛs /

verb

1. (tr; when passive, foll by with or by) to preoccupy completely; haunt

2. (intr; usually foll by on or over) to worry neurotically or obsessively; brood

Other Word Forms

• obsessingly adverb
• obsessor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsess¹

1495–1505; < Latin obsessus, past participle of obsidēre to occupy, frequent, besiege, equivalent to ob- ob- + -sid ( ēre ) combining form of sedēre to sit ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsess¹

C16: from Latin obsessus besieged, past participle of obsidēre, from ob- in front of + sedēre to sit

Example Sentences

Like the previous generation probably was really obsessed with “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” and maybe newer listeners aren’t as focused on that song specifically.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Frederick Winslow Taylor was obsessed with efficiency in factories.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But it may not be the one that investors are obsessing over.

Read more on Barron's

But it may not be the one that investors are obsessing over.

Read more on Barron's

Ellis, meanwhile, has a nearly 14-year-old son who is in what she calls a “teenage, hormonal place” — not that dissimilar to Emily, who has three slacker teenagers obsessed with video games.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beset 
• consume 
• dominate 
• engross 
• grip 
• harass 
• haunt 
• infatuate 
• torment