variants
or less commonly psyche
psyched; psyching
1
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
David Hulburd3
a
: to make psychologically uneasy : intimidate, scare
pressure doesn't psych me—Jerry Quarry
—often used with outJerry Quarryhas 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
variants
or psycho-
1
: mind : mental processes and activities
psychodynamic
psychology
2
: psychological methods
psychoanalysis
psychotherapy
3
: brain
psychosurgery
4
: mental and
psychosomatic
Examples of psych in a Sentence
Verb
He was trying to psych himself before the race.
Recent Examples on the Web
Caoimhe O'Neill, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Don’t psych yourself out during the Capricorn moon.
—USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for psych
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Verb
Arsenal and England striker Alessia Russo’s shin pads (Molly Darlington – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
For players, shin pads can serve not just as protection but as positive homages to help psych themselves up before a game.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Don’t psych yourself out during the Capricorn moon.
—USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for psych
Cite this Entry
“Psych.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psych. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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