1
as in to bother
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
don't talk about death, as it totally freaks me out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to lose it
to yield to mental or emotional stress
the landlady totally freaked out when she saw the dead body in the hall
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in meltdown
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of freak-out
Air Mail, 7 June 2025
What follows is a melee of pratfalls and freak-outs, a guffaw-worthy display by such a fine group of actors.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 21 May 2025
Expect multiple scenes of the characters engaging in psychedelic frolics and freak-outs, some of which illustrate their backstories through sweaty, surreal vignettes.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 19 May 2025
Every so often, the E.R. is visited by rats, little symbols of disrepair and instigators of slapstick freak-outs.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Enter another Jamie freak-out, which seems to come out of nowhere.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
No one is really disputing it, but the market freak-out hinges on the truthfulness of a single and relatively unknown company.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
The situation at the heart of the movie goes from bad to worse along a linear trajectory, but the horror freak-out promised by its eeriest moments never really bothers to materialize.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
There's not the same freak-out about immigration in Canada.
—Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2016
Verb
Oasis’s last tour, in 2008, was riven by fights, freak-outs, and sibling rivalry.
—Air Mail, 7 June 2025
What follows is a melee of pratfalls and freak-outs, a guffaw-worthy display by such a fine group of actors.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 21 May 2025
Expect multiple scenes of the characters engaging in psychedelic frolics and freak-outs, some of which illustrate their backstories through sweaty, surreal vignettes.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 19 May 2025
Every so often, the E.R. is visited by rats, little symbols of disrepair and instigators of slapstick freak-outs.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Enter another Jamie freak-out, which seems to come out of nowhere.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
No one is really disputing it, but the market freak-out hinges on the truthfulness of a single and relatively unknown company.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
The situation at the heart of the movie goes from bad to worse along a linear trajectory, but the horror freak-out promised by its eeriest moments never really bothers to materialize.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
There's not the same freak-out about immigration in Canada.
—Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freak-out
Verb
-
If Waldron wasn’t battered, then Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was hardly bothered.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 June 2025
-
While notification bundles were an option before, they were primarily used for messaging, and not all developers bothered.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
After the bullpen suffered another meltdown in Friday’s 6-5 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field, Boone fended off questions about the status of the unit.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
-
But, after the announcement prompted a market meltdown, the president hit pause for 90 days to allow time for negotiations with individual counties, although high taxes were left in place on imports from China.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
Mellinger now worries the department will not be able to meet its five-year goals for key performance indicators, which measure progress on the county’s biggest public health challenges.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
7 July 2025
-
But there’s nothing, only silence, which worries me as much as the scream.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
Last month, the company announced plans to drive vehicles manually in New York for testing, marking the first step toward potentially cracking the largest U.S. city.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
-
In the past four years, four Utes TEs (Cole Fotheringham, Thomas Yassmin, Dalton Kincaid, and now Lohner) have cracked pro rosters.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Jail records from 2019 show that Ornelas suffered from depression and anxiety and had previously been placed on suicide watch.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
-
For example, a 2019 report by Columbia University in the City of New York highlighted how boredom is associated with issues such as risky behavior, anxiety and depression.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
The apostles are alarmed, but Jesus understands his destiny is coming.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
-
The entire affair—the opening, the closing, the paranoia, and then the alarming news of a shooting (which was unrelated and, thankfully, nonfatal)—could be easily put down to the vagaries of big-city life.—
Emma Sarappo,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
The same goes for Redick, who did an admirable job in his first regular season before melting down in the playoffs.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
-
With a leftist New York City politician appearing likely to be the Democratic mayoral candidate for the U.S.’ largest city, business interests are melting down over the prospects of his tax-the-rich platform aimed at improving basic services.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Hudson’s Bay was spun off and went bankrupt, Saks and Neiman’s vendors were thrown into a tailspin by a yearlong schedule to repay past due bills and 90-day payment terms on all shipments going forward.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
7 July 2025
-
The loss of an apex predator, the introduction of an invasive species or even minor changes in climate or weather events can send island ecosystems into a tailspin.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Freak-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freak-out. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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