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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psyching (out)
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026 -
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Starring Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won, the film follows a road-view camera crew that encounters terrifying supernatural events at a remote reservoir.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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The air in the room changed immediately, terrifying little Liza.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Beaulah orders Joaquin to clean up the mess, which involves dragging his brother to rehab and possibly intimidating Wes’s highly suspicious widow, Whitney (Olivia Rose Keegan), into leaving town.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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The learning curve, while gentler than tennis, can still feel intimidating in a social setting.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Plus, nobody will careen past you at 110 mph, scaring you spitless.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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This isn’t a film about trauma, or smuggled-in social issues, or anything at all, really, besides the honest workaday business of scaring the bejesus out of its audience, rinsing, and repeating with extra vigor.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He is seen walking down the middle of the street, terrorizing drivers and waving and shooting a long gun.—
Cheryl Fiandaca,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
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Trump is terrorizing our immigrant communities.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Additionally, there was mention of softening or pricing pressures stemming from the conflict with Iran, which has driven oil prices higher.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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The moisture activates the surfactants and softening agents embedded in the sheet.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Over two energy-sapping legs and more than three-and-a-half hours of football, Southampton required a 116th-minute winner from Shea Charles to come from behind on the night and eliminate Middlesbrough from the Championship play-offs and advance to the final against Hull City on Saturday, May 23.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Democrats in control of the legislature warn that would hamstring other state priorities, like education and healthcare, by sapping money from the general fund.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
13 May 2026
Verb
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This perspective suggests that while critics worry about wasting public funds on wealthy families, universal programs historically have maintained stronger political support, exemplified by the enduring nature of Social Security and Medicare.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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For months, thousands have been detained there in inhumane conditions without meaningful due process–while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
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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 18 May. 2026.
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