psyching (out)

verb

present participle of psych (out)
as in frightening

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for psyching (out)
  1. frightening
  2. terrifying
  3. intimidating
  4. scaring
  5. terrorizing
  6. softening
  7. sapping
  8. wasting
Verb
  • Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
  • This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.
    — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Definition of frightening
Verb
  • For Thomas, unpacking what went wrong goes well beyond the headless bodies, terrifying phone calls and dead ends.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Spotify is terrifying much of the podcast industry with a tiny little widget.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • For all its intimidating size and appearance, the giant huntsman is reclusive and not considered dangerous to humans.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026
  • For many organizations, personalization sounds intimidating or expensive.
    — Jodi Amendola, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • Few griz/hunter interactions ever move beyond the scaring stage.
    — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Be a menace to people in the community, driving his boat 70 to 80 miles per hour, driving around scaring the heck out of people, taking people's lives.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of scaring
Verb
  • Zymire Hughes, the man accused of terrorizing at least a half-dozen people while wearing a Chucky-style mask in Center City, has been extradited to Philadelphia, police said.
    — Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Arrest documents offered a flurry of new details about two former Phoenix police officers suspected of terrorizing a couple during a traffic stop and failing to document or report the stop.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrorizing
Verb
  • These grew louder each time a Ferrari left its garage and entered the pit lane before softening again, a call and response that echoed around the circuit.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, softening is still seen over the rest of the year.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of softening
Verb
  • Another bout of brutal heat and energy-sapping humidity socked Southern California on Thursday, continuing what has been a remarkably muggy summer that’s brought wildfires, coastal erosion, record-breaking temperatures and general misery.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The yield surge is largely a result of mounting investor concerns about persistent US inflation and ballooning government debt, as well as competition from corporate AI-buildout debt that is sapping demand for Treasuries.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of sapping
Verb
  • Arnd Wiegmann | Reuters Novartis shares tanked on Tuesday after the pharmaceutical giant said its del-desiran drug for muscle-wasting disorder failed in a late-stage trial.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026
  • At 83, and contending with myosotis, a muscle-wasting condition that kept him from his own Telluride premiere, Leigh has said this is most likely his last film.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of wasting
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

psychics
psyching (out)
psyching (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Psyching (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psyching%20%28out%29. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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