freak

1 of 4

noun

1
a
: a sudden and odd or seemingly pointless idea or turn of the mind
you should be able to stop and go on, and follow this way or that, as the freak takes youR. L. Stevenson
b
: a seemingly capricious action or event
Through an incredible freak of fate they survived the shipwreck.
2
archaic : a whimsical quality or disposition
3
: one that is markedly unusual or abnormal: such as
a
: a person or animal having a physical oddity and appearing in a circus sideshow
b slang
(1)
: a sexual deviate
(2)
: a person who uses an illicit drug
a speed freak
c
: hippie
d
: an atypical postage stamp usually caused by a unique defect in paper (such as a crease) or a unique event in the manufacturing process (such as a speck of dirt on the plate) that does not produce a constant or systematic effect
4
a
: an ardent enthusiast
film freaks
b
: a person who is obsessed with something
a control freak

freak

2 of 4

adjective

: not natural, normal, or likely
He was the victim of a freak accident.
a freak occurrence

freak

3 of 4

verb (1)

freaked; freaking; freaks

transitive verb

1
: to make greatly distressed, astonished, or discomposed
often used with out
the news freaked them out
2
: to put under the influence of a psychedelic drug
often used with out

intransitive verb

1
: to withdraw from reality especially by taking drugs
often used with out
2
: to experience nightmarish hallucinations as a result of taking drugs
often used with out
3
a
: to behave irrationally or unconventionally under the influence of drugs
often used with out
b
: to react with extreme or irrational distress or discomposure
often used with out

freak

4 of 4

verb (2)

freaked; freaking; freaks

transitive verb

: to streak especially with color
silver and mother-of-pearl freaking the intense azureRobert Bridges †1930

Example Sentences

Noun eccentric, artistic types whom many regarded as freaks I had a terrible rash on my face, and I felt like a freak. Adjective He was the victim of a freak accident. even weather forecasters seemed surprised by the freak hailstorm
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Any time America reports its economy is strong, Wall Street has a freak-out. Christine Romans, CNN, 6 Jan. 2023 What prompted the freak-out was Netflix’s warning that growth in the first part of 2022 would be slowing down — way down, as in nearly half of the 2021 Q1 growth. Vulture, 28 Jan. 2022 The freak storm responsible for this mind boggling event derives from the same system that whipped up two deadly tornado outbreaks in the United States, one on Dec. 23 and the other on the 26th. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 30 Dec. 2015 The latest episode of the Fox first responder series saw a freak storm system wreak havoc at a carnival, particularly for a newly single dad, Trevor (Lucifer's D.B. Woodside), who had to be rescued by the 126 twice in one day. Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2023 Here is the essential guide to making your house clean enough to satisfy your most critical inner neat freak and launch you into summer with a house that actually shines. Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 24 Jan. 2023 Fortunately, everyone took the freak chain of events lightheartedly. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2023 The menu offers appetizers like hummus, 12-inch pizzas, like the meat freak, made with red sauce, mozzarella, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, grilled chicken and oregano flakes. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 14 Jan. 2023 He has been described as an athletic freak who possesses incredible raw power, strength, speed, and explosion. Lance Reisland, cleveland, 11 Jan. 2023
Adjective
The injury came in freak fashion when running to the second level to deliver a block on a linebacker. Dallas News, 19 Oct. 2022 Officials in Kansas say a man has died after he was shot by his dog in a freak hunting accident. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2023 Hamlin, 24, fell victim to a freak accident during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals last week when a collision with another player stopped his heart. Justin Klawans, The Week, 7 Jan. 2023 It’s just what happens sometimes and it’s just such a freak accident. Mohammad Ahmad, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2023 An Army hockey player was cut in the neck in a freak accident during a game at Sacred Heart on Thursday night, leaving a bloody trail on the ice at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2023 Her young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), is on a ski trip with her parents when, in a freak accident, their car is run over by a snowplow. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Jan. 2023 No one can see or hear the ghosts but Samantha, who gained that ability thanks to a head injury suffered in a freak accident. Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2022 But the show wisely made Jeevan into Kirsten's guardian for months — until a freak accident separated them for two decades. Ew Staff, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2022
Verb
Advertisement Needless to say, this early turn of events freaks out not just Will, but his two daughters: teenager Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and her little sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair). Michael O'sullivan, Washington Post, 30 May 2023 Right-wingers saw this, freaked out, and began a boycott. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 30 May 2023 And then Matt came, and everyone started freaking out. Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 16 May 2023 The tech-savvy singer then tried to explain neural nets and machine learning to Fox, lamenting that there are too much scary depictions of AI in the media these days that are freaking people out. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 May 2023 The last visible one occurred in 1604, which generally freaked out astronomers around the world. Popular Mechanics, 18 Apr. 2023 So you don’t get freaked out inhaling these things? Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 7 Apr. 2023 As such, the line that forms outside Briskets BBQ Shack & Grill — winding across the front of the property and down the street on weekends — doesn’t freak him out. Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023 Here’s the thing: Regulators would prefer not to freak out customers and spread panic. Allison Morrow, CNN, 31 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'freak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb (1)

origin unknown

Verb (2)

perhaps from or akin to freckle entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1887, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1964, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1637, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of freak was in 1563

Dictionary Entries Near freak

Cite this Entry

“Freak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freak. Accessed 10 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

freak

1 of 3 noun
1
a
: a sudden strange idea : whim
b
: a strange, abnormal, or unusual person, thing, or event
2
a
: enthusiast
a movie freak
b
: a person who is obsessed with something
a control freak
freakish
ˈfrē-kish
adjective
freakishly adverb
freakishness noun

freak

2 of 3 adjective
: being or suggesting a freak : improbable
a freak accident

freak

3 of 3 verb
: to disturb one's calmness of mind : upset
usually used with out
the news freaks me out

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