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
  • Still, Douglas is unflinching in the book about how physically abusive and terrifying his dad was to him and his brother.
    — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
  • One night, Bridget decides to leave after thoroughly terrifying her husband with an ax.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • Others have more broad statutes prohibiting any kind of intimidating behavior.
    — Danielle Friedman, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • That would be in 51,521-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium, which stands an intimidating 4,637 feet above sea level in scenic Salt Lake City.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • Halloween Horror Nights are still scaring visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood, but the park is already making holiday plans.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
  • More than anything, this adaptation feels scared of being too unlikable or scaring anyone too much.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of scaring
Verb
  • In The Babysitter, desperate to earn enough money for a prestigious writing program, 16-year-old Jenny takes a babysitting job despite a prowler terrorizing girls across town.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend a miniseries about a mysterious sea creature terrorizing a small coastal town and a pair of psychological horror dramas exploring female rage.
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrorizing
Verb
  • In the late 1970s, Giorgio Armani stripped the structure out of the traditional suit, softening its shoulders and loosening its trousers.
    — John Vorwald, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Even with used vehicle prices softening slightly, high borrowing costs keep monthly payments out of reach for many prospective buyers.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of softening
Verb
  • Partita takes a poem that vibrates with political energy and domesticates it, sapping this very famous verse of its revolutionary bite.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Stubbornly high inflation has been sapping consumer confidence and pressuring the Fed, which recently raised its benchmark interest rate in an effort to cool prices.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sapping
Verb
  • House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on Thursday that Republicans were wasting money by targeting two House seats held by vulnerable Democrats in the state of New York.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Identifying the cause of your hair loss first is what keeps you from wasting money on the wrong product, according to Kazlouskaya.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 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 12 Oct. 2026.

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