as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (up)
Verb
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Hodges braced himself against a metal door frame to his right.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026 -
But this year, investors should brace for the possibility outperforming shares will collide with reality, billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio warned on Monday.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Overall, though, New Jersey didn’t land enough difference-makers to fortify the club’s supporting cast.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Foods like yogurt and kefir offer gut-friendly probiotics, and milk is often fortified with vitamin D.—
Anthea Levi,
Health,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gates was keen to highlight that society needs to do more to ready itself for an AI era, and that work so far hasn’t been adequate.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
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The country is largely focused on a self-sufficiency drive to build up its chipmaking capabilities, a push that’s included readying a new round of incentives of as much as $70 billion for the chip sector.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Psych (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psych%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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