as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of psych (up)
Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
But scarcity is a side effect of the psyche damage of marginalization.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Thunderbolts immediately draws viewers into the innermost parts of each character’s psyche and reveals that each one, despite their physical strength, is struggling with serious interpersonal issues.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 30 Apr. 2025
Another reason is that it was built on the contradictory impulses to liberate the unconscious and to police those whose psyches were freed.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Noun
And does anyone other than the goofball manager think that yanking Dominguez out of every single game in which the Yankees have a lead is helping him or his psyche in any way??
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
But scarcity is a side effect of the psyche damage of marginalization.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Thunderbolts immediately draws viewers into the innermost parts of each character’s psyche and reveals that each one, despite their physical strength, is struggling with serious interpersonal issues.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 30 Apr. 2025
Another reason is that it was built on the contradictory impulses to liberate the unconscious and to police those whose psyches were freed.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (up)
Verb
-
The National Weather Service said residents in Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Illinois and parts of Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Ohio should brace for intense storms that could include baseball-sized hail.—
Michael Phillis,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2025
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Other venues, most notably the 90,000-capacity Rose Bowl, are braced for lots of empty seats.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Two graduate students, Alice and Peter, must travel to hell in order to save their professor’s soul, and yes, there’s a bit of will-they-or-won’t-they romance.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
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The soundtrack is loaded with classic rock and soul, and practically every scene references the films of that era — particularly gritty crime thrillers like Charley Varrick and The Outfit — or period pieces set around the same time.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
Keep Curtains Away from Heat Sources The main thing to keep in mind when installing kitchen curtains is to always keep them away from heat sources.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2025
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What's on Kourtney Kardashian Barker's mind right now?—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
17 May 2025
Verb
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It is then fermented into a sweet wine, usually fortified.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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The Hudson Institute think tank has urged the U.S. to fortify its military airfields within the range of China's missiles, in order to preserve air dominance during a potential conflict in which China could launch surprise attacks aimed at destroying U.S. aircraft on the ground.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Noun
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This workaround defeats the spirit of the deferral rules.—
Andre Pennington,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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Her body is fighting to come back, and so is her spirit.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The Bidens lost their son, Beau, to a brain tumor in 2015.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Cognitive Function Supplementing with creatine can increase brain creatine stores, which may enhance brain function and memory.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Although Wyandotte County has yet to see a reported measles outbreak, public health officials are readying public guidance and offering vaccine services as the disease inches north from southwest Kansas.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
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As Amanda Hess, a New York Times critic at large and a savvy analyst of the online world, lays out in her spot-on and brutally funny new book, Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age, approximately no amount of online prep actually readies you for the experience of having a baby.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
5 May 2025
Noun
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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
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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 27 May. 2025.
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