obsess

[ uhb-ses ]

/ əbˈsɛs /

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See synonyms for: obsess / obsessed / obsessing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

verb (used without object)

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

OTHER WORDS FOR obsess

1 possess, control, haunt.

See synonyms for obsess on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of obsess

1495–1505; <Latin obsessus, past participle of obsidēre to occupy, frequent, besiege, equivalent to ob-ob- + -sid(ēre) combining form of sedēre to sit¹

OTHER WORDS FROM obsess

ob·sess·ing·ly, adverbob·ses·sor, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH obsess

abscess, obsess

How to use obsess in a sentence

She’s also just as food-obsessed as we are and wants to talk about it.
Freezing Weather, COVID Pivots: How ‘Eater’s Guide to the World’ Was Made|Eater Staff|November 20, 2020|Eater
I know there will be people under 21 among those, but these are young, sports-obsessed guys who are already sports bettors.
Free money, big addictions: Inside the booming world of online sports betting|Brett Haensel|November 15, 2020|Fortune
We both love practically every title in the series, enough to complete all of them and obsess over the smallest details and changes.
All the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games, ranked|Elise Favis, Gene Park|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
He began to obsess over food and take drastic measures to lose weight.
Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud|Outside Editors|November 11, 2020|Outside Online

What you will regret is not being compassionate and kind enough to the people you love — and you’re not being as compassionate and kind to them if you’re obsessing about the election.
How to detox from election anxiety, according to mental health experts|Allyson Chiu|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
And not just sick in the body but in your mind, because you start obsessing.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Apparently Kukucuva had been obsessing about the break-up for some time.
Alleged Murderer Shot Her Millionaire Ex and Escaped in Gold Hummer|Barbie Latza Nadeau|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stop tweeting, texting, blogging, watching cable news, and obsessing about polls, lost planes, and focus group-driven politicians.
The Timeless Beauty of Baseball|Mike Barnicle|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All this observation and self-observation possibly says something very depressing about how insular and self-obsessing we are.
Watching Us, Watching Them: On ‘The People’s Couch’|Tim Teeman|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It helps if there is some deeper truth inside the noir worth obsessing about.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’|Jimmy So|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was able to add to the obsessing question in the hollow of his consciousness one other thought: Some one is coming.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
But for the one obsessing idea she would have recognised that those soft-padded footfalls were not those of any white man.
Forging the Blades|Bertram Mitford
The incident remained in my memory, obsessing it, deepening the film of mystery which had been about her from the first.
The Wasted Generation|Owen Johnson
Thus escapes us once more the New Woman, this obsessing phantom of which everyone speaks and which so few have seen.
The English Stage|Augustin Filon
Yet with that horrible suspicion obsessing me I felt that I must do something in order to satisfy myself.
The Sign of Silence|William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for obsess

obsess

/ (əbˈsɛs) /

verb

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

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

Word Origin for obsess

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

obsess

OTHER WORDS FOR obsess

Origin of obsess

OTHER WORDS FROM obsess

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH obsess

Words related to obsess

How to use obsess in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obsess

Word Origin for obsess