psych

verb

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\ ˈsīk

\

variants: or less commonly psyche

psyched; psyching

Definition of psych

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : psychoanalyze

2a : 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

3a : to make psychologically uneasy : intimidate, scare pressure doesn't psych me— Jerry Quarry —often used with outhas a way of psyching out the competition

b : to make (someone, such as oneself) psychologically ready especially for performance —often used with uppsyched herself up for the race

psych

abbreviation

Definition of psych (Entry 2 of 3)

psychology

psych-

combining form

variants: or psycho-

Definition of psych- (Entry 3 of 3)

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: Verb Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista also spoofed the incident, taking a minute to psych himself up like a boxer preparing for battle before ultimately finding the courage to take a one-handed sip. — Mike Miller, EW.com, "Henry Winkler shades Trump by performing feat of drinking water one-handed," 22 June 2020 Later at Big Cat Rescue, she was psyched there was a snow leopard at that sanctuary. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, "‘Tiger King’: Alabama ties to bonkers Netflix hit," 17 Apr. 2020 Some may be into a little bit of a trim… but not all that psyched about the upkeep of taking all off. — Kim Tranell, Seventeen, "Here's Everything You Need To Know About Shaving Your Vagina," 17 Sep. 2019 This super reliable tent Tents often come with a hefty price tag, so I was psyched to see the The North Face Stormbreak 2 Tent for only $120. — Melissa Lee, USA TODAY, "REI is having a massive sale on Patagonia and The North Face clothing and gear," 27 Mar. 2020 We’re all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent — that’s NFL etiquette. — Los Angeles Times, "Richard Sherman: Baker Mayfield ‘deserves an apology’ after handshake flap," 9 Oct. 2019 An audiovisual engineer, he was also psyched to check out all the sound equipment. — Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, "Some of those extras in ‘Dark Waters’ have real-life ties to the film’s story," 1 Jan. 2020 But this isn’t the first time McConaughey has psyched one of his costars out on set. — Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, "Henry Golding Thought Matthew McConaughey Hated Him on Set of New Movie: 'My World Imploded'," 8 Nov. 2019 We’re all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent — that’s NFL etiquette. — Los Angeles Times, "Richard Sherman: Baker Mayfield ‘deserves an apology’ after handshake flap," 9 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'psych.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.