psych

1 of 4

verb

ˈsīk 

variants or less commonly psyche

psyched; psyching

transitive verb

1

: psychoanalyze

2

a

: to anticipate correctly the intentions or actions of : outguess

b

: to analyze or figure out (something, such as a problem or course of action)

… I psyched it all out by myself and decided …

—David Hulburd

3

a

: to make psychologically uneasy : intimidate, scare

… pressure doesn't psych me …

—Jerry Quarry

—often used with out

has a way of psyching out the competition

b

: to make (someone, such as oneself) psychologically ready especially for performance

—often used with up

psyched herself up for the race

psych

2 of 4

abbreviation

psychology

psych

3 of 4

interjection

variants or sike

1

—used to say that a previous statement was false or facetious

Psych! Just kidding, man.

—Jeff Stark

No train in sight … Sike! Unbeknownst to me, the train was just coming up the hill …

—Phase2 (Michael Lawrence Marrow), quoted in VIBE

2

—used to signal coyness or playful deception

… we know who won. But … psych! We can't tell you.

—Angela Hill

… Jones raises his hand as if to smack Pericles, then freezes. His posture softens, and with the other hand, he reaches for a single finger to remove his ring … as a gift for Pericles to give to his own bride. Sike!

—Lily Janiak

psych-

4 of 4

combining form

variants or psycho-

1

: mind : mental processes and activities

psychodynamic

psychology

2

: psychological methods

psychoanalysis

psychotherapy

3

: brain

psychosurgery

4

: mental and

psychosomatic

Synonyms of psych

Verb

• brace
• fortify
• ready
• nerve

Examples of psych in a Sentence

Verb

He was trying to psych himself before the race.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The Vulnerability Of Being On Camera Many executives psych themselves out about being on camera. — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 Feb. 2026

That might mean donning an apron to psych yourself into becoming your most confident cook, adding garnishes when things feel lackluster and poking out your pinkie finger to remind yourself not to take things so seriously. — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026

The moment before rehearsal is where all of the unknowns exist and the feat of the climb can psych you out. — Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2024

One of the more laugh-out-loud funny scenes of the series is this moment where Maya’s character is in a bathroom just before an interrogation and makes the most absurd face in the mirror to psych herself up. — Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

by shortening

Interjection

derivation of psych entry 1

Combining form

Greek, from psychē breath, principle of life, life, soul, from psychein to breathe; akin to Sanskrit babhasti he blows

First Known Use

Verb

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Interjection

1983, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing psych

• psych-out

Rhymes for psych

• bike
• dike
• hike
• ike
• like
• mike
• pyke
• shrike
• spike
• strike
• tike
• alike

Kids Definition

psych

verb

variants or psyche

ˈsīk

psyched; psyching

1

: to make oneself psychologically ready

—usually used with up

psyched themselves up for the race

2

: to make uneasy

—often used with out

psych out an opponent

Medical Definition

psych

abbreviation

psychology