PSYCH (OUT) Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

psych (out)

verb

Definition of psych (out)

as in to scare

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (out)

Verb

The company will need to regain customers' trust, just as other restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's and Chipotle have had to in the past after health scares.

— Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 17 July 2026
Significantly, High Plains offered alternatives to more expensive, two-drink-minimum club shows that might scare off casual comedy fans and newcomers to stand-up.

— John Wenzel, Denver Post, 16 July 2026

Definition of scare

Verb

Fireworks can frighten animals and send them scattering, but Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets apparently are made of sterner stuff.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
In those moments, what frightened her most was not her own safety but the knowledge that her husband was up there somewhere, flying in the same sky swarming with fighter planes dropping their bombs on Tehran.

— Mahsa Alimardani, Time, 6 July 2026

Definition of frighten

Verb

Charlotte didn’t handle teams that push and use force to intimidate the opposition well this past season, often falling short in that department.

— Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
But, for those who are dipping their toe into these massive markets for the first time, the experience can be overwhelming, even intimidating.

— Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 July 2026

Definition of intimidate

Verb

In one of Nolan’s subtle but important additions to Homer’s tale, all throughout the film, everyone expresses fears about the People from the Sea, this unseen menace terrorizing different towns.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Russia has been doing this since the start of the war, terrorizing Ukrainian cities with aerial assaults that have killed thousands of civilians and crippled much of the country’s energy grid for months on end.

— Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

Definition of terrorize

Verb

These get forwarded across the internet, and soon masses of young people are surging into an urban plaza or park, often terrifying any adult who happens to be nearby.

— Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Sebastian Krautz went viral on NBC10 Boston this week after admitting he was initially terrified to travel to the United States because of news about crime and safety.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026

Definition of terrify

Verb

Still, as the game wore on to the waning moments, both teams were visibly sapped of energy and moving at a slower pace, including Haaland, who faded late in the game, was subbed out at the 105-minute mark and replaced by Jorgen Strand Larsen.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 12 July 2026
Unlike basketball or baseball, pro football is far from the point where regular-season contests become meaningless, but that hasn’t stopped its fans from debating whether the NFL is sapping some of the magic that comes from football’s scarcity.

— Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

Definition of sap

Verb

Ceviche arrives bright and cold, sharpened by citrus, softened by fresh seafood, and lifted with herbs and heat.

— Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
The governor this year softened New York's ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gases, citing rising energy costs for consumers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026

Definition of soften

Verb

Once again, no one is here for the play-acting, the time-wasting, the cheating.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Rather than simply reducing power use across the board, the system attempts to identify exactly when machinery is wasting energy and proposes operational changes that can reduce consumption without disrupting productivity.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026

Definition of waste

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.

Browse Nearby Words

psychotic

psych (out)

psychs (out)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Psych (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psych%20%28out%29. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of psych (out)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

accentuate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes