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to get stuck on

to get stuck on

2 5.4
To keep thinking about a small detail and not move forward
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : quedarse atascado en
  • When discussing the project, don't get stuck on minor details that won't change the outcome.
  • getting stuck on a thought
  • getting stuck on one

So that's one reason people get stuck on on toxic relationships.

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Examples

  • I love having that duality because when I get stuck on the creative stuff, I can switch gears and do the organizational stuff.

    Blog text (5)
  • However, all three contestants kept getting stuck on the half-court shot, so no one got to take home the prize.

    Blog text (30)
  • We see it beyond and it's this idea that we get so often so stuck on being right.

  • If you get stuck on something, you need to move on, or that could be the end of your lab attempt.

    Blog text (30)
  • You can't get too stuck on the result.

  • You shouldn't get stuck on names.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • So that's one reason people get stuck on on toxic relationships.

  • If your child gets stuck on a word, wait a few seconds and then encourage him/her to: read the sentence again and think about words that would make sense; look at the word for parts that he/she knows; or think about what would sound right.

    Blog text (12)
  • We'd been studying Greek mythology in school, and Raymond had gotten stuck on those nymphs.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • If I did get stuck on a problem, I’d ask a classmate, and together we’d try to solve it.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

to obsess
vsto get stuck on
304 5.5

To think about something so much that it makes you worried

is intense mental domination rather than only excessive attention
to fixate
vsto get stuck on
46 7.0

To think about someone or something all the time

is similar but more about recurring thoughts on small details
to obsess about
vsto get stuck on
26 6.0

Think too much about something so you feel unhappy

is like this but especially when the matter is small and blocks action
stuck on
vsto get stuck on
16 5.1

Not able to move past a problem or stop thinking about it

focuses excessively on small or trivial matters and blocks progress
to linger on
vsto get stuck on
8 4.5

Spend too much time thinking or talking about something

is more active and blocking, not just taking extra time thinking
to get in the weeds
vsto get stuck on
  • Jargon
7 8.4

To become too involved in small details and forget the main idea

is broader and applies to focusing on trivial matters generally
stuck in the weeds
vsto get stuck on
  • Informal
1 8.3

Giving too much attention to small details that you lose sight of the main goal

is broader, meaning any excessive focus, not only minor details
to overconcentrate
vsto get stuck on
7.7

Give too much attention to one thing and ignore others

is narrower, focusing especially on trivial matters and blocking progress

Antonyms

670 3.1

To start the next stage or activity and stop focusing on the past

381 3.7

To stop worrying about something and relax

How Fixated

to get stuck on
2 5.4
to focus on
2.0
to take heed
  • Formal
11 6.2
to notice
1.0

Surface Forms

get stuck on infinitive
getting stuck on present participle
gets stuck on third person singular
got stuck on past participle

Morphology

get + stuck + on

The meaning 'to focus excessively on something' is directly derivable from 'get' (become) + 'stuck' (unable to progress) + 'on' (about/with) because the mental sense is a natural extension of physical stuckness. This verb+adjective+preposition pattern and the metaphorical mapping are common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Get stuck on comes from the picture of something getting physically stuck on another thing, like gum on a shoe, so you cannot move forward. So when someone 'gets stuck on' a small point, they focus on it so much they cannot move on to other things.