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
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of freak (out)
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
For now, though, Chang is in her bubble up north and witnessing most of the freak-outs remotely and not in person.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 14 Jan. 2026
Somebody, the woman had just a little bit of a freak-out for lack of a better term.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
John Hollinger looks at the Western Conference teams who might already be in freak-out mode.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025
After Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary this summer, some high-end real-estate brokers confessed to having something of a freak-out.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 30 Oct. 2025
But that possibility is literally dynamited in a vision Daria has of the home abruptly blown to smithereens, the destruction replayed in slo-mo to the crashing squeals of early Pink Floyd, itself a collapse of psychedelic rock’s utopian ideals into acid-casualty freak-out.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
The dog remained unfazed during Fowler's minor freak-out.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Oasis’s last tour, in 2008, was riven by fights, freak-outs, and sibling rivalry.
—Air Mail, 7 June 2025
Noun
This time, Carr’s freak-out was an attempt to stretch the FCC’s equal-time rules to apply to talk shows — both late night and daytime.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
For now, though, Chang is in her bubble up north and witnessing most of the freak-outs remotely and not in person.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 14 Jan. 2026
Somebody, the woman had just a little bit of a freak-out for lack of a better term.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
John Hollinger looks at the Western Conference teams who might already be in freak-out mode.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025
After Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary this summer, some high-end real-estate brokers confessed to having something of a freak-out.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 30 Oct. 2025
But that possibility is literally dynamited in a vision Daria has of the home abruptly blown to smithereens, the destruction replayed in slo-mo to the crashing squeals of early Pink Floyd, itself a collapse of psychedelic rock’s utopian ideals into acid-casualty freak-out.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
The dog remained unfazed during Fowler's minor freak-out.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Oasis’s last tour, in 2008, was riven by fights, freak-outs, and sibling rivalry.
—Air Mail, 7 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freak (out)
Verb
-
Schultz said he is not bothered by the criticism marking his seven-year tenure at the $301,000-a-year post.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Is a man bothering you at a bar?—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In 2021, a record-shattering outbreak of cold in Texas crippled the state’s electric grid, a meltdown blamed in large part on failures in its gas infrastructure.—
Kristi Swartz,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The Pattern That Became a Strategy The term was coined by Financial Times journalist Robert Armstrong in May 2025, after the Liberation Day tariff meltdown.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Alinejad views her mission as exposing the situation in Iran and giving voice to victims, but worries the attempts on her life will create a fear of inviting her to speak.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Lindsay Koshgarian, the program director of the National Priorities Project who has been tracking deployment costs, worries that at some point, these expenses will affect funding for other important military priorities.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
McNee said any tree that has sap could have frost cracking in the right conditions.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Social media treats the tree-popping phenomenon as a sign of the apocalypse, but Indigenous peoples have long used the sound of cracking timber to mark the passage of winter.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Somehow, this new sensation emitted an awareness of the magnitude in which skateboarding would warp my life, which only ratcheted up the anxiety of blowing it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The news this week that an ICE agent had shot and killed a woman in Minnesota heightened his anxiety.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Testasecca later told authorities that the calls alarmed him immediately.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
-
That claim should alarm parents.—
Stephana Ferrell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sidestep a financial wrangle if someone is melting down.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The shorter the line, the less likely there will be a melt down (and melt downs mean having to spend precious time decompressing someplace quiet, or possibly having to end the entire excursion early and going back to the hotel).—
Priscilla Blossom,
Parents,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Throughout Arizona’s tailspin, Gannon stuck to the blueprint, preaching process and patience during moments that publicly demanded more.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Despite being a longtime socialist, Rodríguez also had a reputation as a technocrat and turned to market-friendly reforms to try to pull the economy out of its tailspin.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freak (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freak%20%28out%29. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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