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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.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to obsess

beset, consume, dominate, engross, grip, harass, haunt, infatuate, torment, hold, possess

How to use obsess in a sentence

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
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