# obsess

/əbˈsɛs/ (US) · /ɒbsˈɛs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/obsess
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to think about constantly

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to think or talk about something all the time because you are very interested in it.

For teachers: to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion to a degree that excludes other thoughts. Often used intransitively with 'about' or 'over'.

- He started to obsess about his weight after his doctor mentioned it.
- It is easy to obsess over minor details when you are under a lot of pressure to succeed.

Usage: Commonly followed by the prepositions 'about' or 'over'.

### 2. to dominate someone's mind

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

when a thought or worry stays in your mind and you cannot stop thinking about it.

For teachers: to preoccupy or dominate the thoughts of someone intensely. In this sense, the subject is the thought or idea, and the person is the object.

- The fear of failing the exam began to obsess her every night.
- The possibility of a security breach began to obsess the lead engineer, leading to several sleepless nights of testing.

Usage: Used transitively; the thought or feeling is the subject.

## Examples

- She tends to obsess over every small mistake she makes.
- It is easy to obsess about social media likes, but they rarely reflect real-world success.
- While it is helpful to be detail-oriented, you should not obsess over minor aesthetic choices at the expense of the project's overall functionality.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.