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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The air in the room changed immediately, terrifying little Liza.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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Pic was written and directed by horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, and follows the host (Nina Kiri) of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Upper East Side townhouse feels intimidating in the way only very expensive real estate can—big rooms, high ceilings, everything perfectly in place.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Fundamentals of Japanese Approaching the language as a newcomer is intimidating.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And with it almost out in the world, that’s scaring him a little bit.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
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During the first phase, last spring, before DHS got the infusion of new money, Noem led a shock-and-awe campaign aimed mostly at scaring people into leaving.—
Nick Miroff,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One rabid mongoose bite later, and Ben is a skull-crushing, face-ripping menace terrorizing Lucy and her friends.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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While there have been multiple iterations of the KKK, in the 1960s, Klans throughout the country were responding to the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation by terrorizing Black activists and their allies.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While even beauty sales are softening, that impulse hasn’t disappeared.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
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They are best suited for improving skin texture, softening fine lines and enhancing product absorption, allowing serums and treatments to penetrate more effectively.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The prospect of an acute and prolonged oil shortage threatened to drive up prices for a vast array of goods, sapping energy from consumer spending, which powers most of the nation's economic growth.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Sharply rising oil prices and sudden shortages of critical materials such as fertilizer can quickly permeate an economy and cause all kinds of goods and services to increase in price while sapping precious household income.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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American greatness isn’t achieved by wasting money on a bloated military budget.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2026
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These layers don’t work seamlessly, wasting energy at every boundary.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 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 16 Apr. 2026.
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