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
  • 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
  • The transition from farms, the open range, and artisanal workshops to offices and large, impersonal, factories was seen as sapping virility—just as our tiny cubicles and remote workstations are said to do today.
    — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 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 11 Sep. 2026.

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