psych (out)

verb

Definition of psych (out)next
as in to scare

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (out)
  1. scare
  2. frighten
  3. intimidate
  4. terrorize
  5. terrify
  6. sap
  7. soften
  8. waste
Verb
  • But that didn’t scare him away from throwing the ball with the game on the line in the final minutes.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Ebb is not a baby, but Ebb is scared of losing Henry and scared of what the future could be.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of scare
Verb
  • Parents were taught to respond supportively while stepping back from rescuing their child from what frightened them.
    — Deldhy Nicolás Moya Sánchez, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The company pictured tales that might start in an Indian hamlet yet still frighten viewers in Seoul or São Paulo.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of frighten
Verb
  • Perhaps the point is to intimidate Vela and her henchman, but the move puts our Tulsa truthstorian in new and uncomfortable territory.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The wiretapping operation could also constitute a serious human rights violation and could be used to intimidate critics and weaken civil liberties, said Usman Hamid, Amnesty International's executive director in Indonesia.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of intimidate
Verb
  • Undeterred, Ghidorah returned for a rematch just a year later in Invasion of Astro Monster (1965), after being discovered supposedly terrorizing the inhabitants of Planet X, a world found beyond Jupiter.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Armed with a baseball bat and a shotgun, the Platt family must survive the dinosaurs terrorizing their quaint 1980s neighborhood, rescue their family dog Starbuck and uncover what has happened to Oak Street.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrorize
Verb
  • If the thought of having your email inbox leaked to the world doesn’t terrify you, better check that pulse.
    — Stephanie Barnes, PC Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The simple act of a child pedaling down empty hotel hallways on a Big Wheel builds anticipation, terrifying us with what may be around each corner.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrify
Verb
  • As work and home obligations take up more of your focus, burnout can slowly sap your sense of joy and wonder in everyday life.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Fortune recently reported on wealthy parents’ growing fear that their fortunes will sap their children’s drive.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sap
Verb
  • And the activists’ friends become concerned, urging them to soften the rhetoric.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
  • As Walter, Carman Lacivita has to be a pompous jerk for a lot of this play then must soften for scenes of genuine compassion and personal growth.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of soften
Verb
  • Every delay makes recovery harder and risks wasting the public investment already made.
    — Carole LaBonne, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The Jets blew a nine-point halftime lead and wasted a 33-point afternoon against a Raiders team that had lost four straight.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 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)
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Cite this Entry

“Psych (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psych%20%28out%29. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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