as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in soul
an immaterial force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power
disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mind
the part of a person that feels, thinks, perceives, wills, and especially reasons
a novel that explores the psyche of a depressed teen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of psych (up)
Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
Character emerges from the frailty of the human psyche.
—John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
Per Britannica, Jung's psychoanalytic method focuses on integrating conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche to achieve personal growth and self-realization.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 3 July 2025
Taco Bell captured a shift in L.A.’s taco psyche
During the 1980s and 1990s, Southern California underwent momentous shifts.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Noun
Mindhunter dropped on Netflix in 2017 and 2019 and followed Bill (McCallany) and Holden (Groff) investigating the psyche of serial killers.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
Character emerges from the frailty of the human psyche.
—John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
Per Britannica, Jung's psychoanalytic method focuses on integrating conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche to achieve personal growth and self-realization.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 3 July 2025
Taco Bell captured a shift in L.A.’s taco psyche
During the 1980s and 1990s, Southern California underwent momentous shifts.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (up)
Verb
-
Leesburg, a city in central Florida north of Orlando, broke its heat record Sunday after reaching 100 degrees as well, and the rest of the region is bracing for more potentially record-breaking triple-digit temperatures Monday and Tuesday.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
Now, schools are bracing for the start of the semester: Teachers and students told USA TODAY that fear lingers for many immigrant students ahead of the new school year.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
The musical slipstream that creates between bluegrass, blues, country, folk, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock and soul has roots more firmly entrenched — and more lucrative — in Music City than ever.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
26 July 2025
-
Allow this to awaken your soul ahead of season 4 of Ted Lasso: Jason Sudeikis and costars Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, and Brendan Hunt crashed a Mumford & Sons concert to perform the show's theme song on stage.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Pitchers such as Sandy Alcántara, Edward Cabrera, Mitch Keller, Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly come to mind as the new targets for the Cubs.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
-
Thicker gel mattress toppers do cost more, and keep in mind that a thinner gel mattress topper will affect the overall feel of your sleeping experience.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
28 July 2025
Verb
-
Tensions over the exchange led to Cambodian, then later Thai, soldiers fortifying positions along the border.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
25 July 2025
-
Probiotic Juices Probiotic juices are fruit and vegetable juices that have been fortified with probiotics.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Each meal service is also accompanied by a variety of premium wine and spirits as well as soft drinks.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
20 July 2025
-
Nearby is also Saint Paul Mountain Farms, an orchard and vineyard producing local wines, hard ciders and spirits.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
Angela Craig is pronounced brain dead at 4:29 p.m. CNN’s Andi Babineau contributed to this report.—
Melissa Gray,
CNN Money,
20 July 2025
-
Over time, your muscles, brain, and spinal cord weaken.—
Janelle McSwiggin,
Health,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
Even if a brand isn’t equipped to take this next step, those looking to remain competitive in the long term should be readying their organizations to meet this transformative moment by laying the groundwork now.—
Tobias Dengel,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
Elsewhere in Jacksonville, where Simpson sets her film, people are readying themselves to party, as if the only appropriate response to an atmosphere of doom is with one last rave.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 July 2025
Noun
-
Cal Fire representatives said the current parking mess has already impacted them because the driveway to their station enters the highway not far from the trail head.—
J. Harry Jones,
Ramona Sentinel,
19 July 2017
-
Now, Maineri heads into year 12 with 18 pitchers on his roster, hoping that rising junior Caleb Gilbert and sophomore-to-be Zach Hess will emerge at the top of the pitching rotation.—
John Roach,
NOLA.com,
19 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Psych (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psych%20%28up%29. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share