as in bracing
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psyching (up)
Verb
-
As the federal government shutdown drags into its 24th day, millions of American families are bracing for the possibility that November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not arrive on time.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025 -
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hunter, acquired at the trade deadline last season in a move viewed at the time as fortifying an already stout roster, will likely be a mainstay in the starting lineup, at least while Strus is out.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Once that decision is made, Posey and the rest of the Giants’ brass will shift its attention to fortifying their roster, generally, and their pitching depth, specifically.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Psyching (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psyching%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share