psych

To make someone nervous, confused, or less confident by affecting their thoughts or feelings.

• Do not let him psych you out.
• The champion psyched out his rival before the fight.
• I psyched myself out by imagining everything going wrong.

How to use it: psych someone out (His threats were meant to psych me out.)

Similar words: intimidate, unsettle

Common phrases: psych someone out, psych yourself out

To make someone excited and mentally ready for something difficult.

• This song always psychs me up.
• She psyched herself up before the interview.
• The captain is psyching the team up for the match.

How to use it: psych someone up for something (The coach psyched us up for the final.)

Similar words: motivate, fire up

Common phrases: psych someone up, psych yourself up

To become excited and mentally ready for a difficult experience.

• We need to psych up before the match.
• She psyched up for the climb by listening to music.
• The players are psyching up in the changing room.

How to use it: psych up for something (The runners were psyching up for the race.)

Similar words: get ready, get fired up

Common phrases: psych up, psych for something

To understand a problem or how someone thinks by studying it carefully.

• Can you psych this problem out?
• He spent hours trying to psych out her motives.
• We finally psyched out what the strange message meant.

How to use it: psych someone/something out (She tried to psych out her opponent before the match.)

Similar words: figure out, work out

Common phrases: psych something out, psych someone out

A hospital or hospital department that treats people with mental health problems.

• She works in the psych ward.
• He spent two weeks in psych after the crisis.
• The hospital is opening a new psych unit.

Similar words: psychiatric ward, psychiatric hospital

Common phrases: psych ward, psych unit, in psych

You say this after a false statement to show that you were joking and fooled someone.

• You won a car. Psych!
• I ate your cake. Psych! It is still in the fridge.
• I am leaving forever. Psych! I will be back tomorrow.

Similar words: gotcha, just kidding

Common phrases: psych just kidding, psych fooled you

You say this when something makes you suddenly happy or excited.

• Psych! We won the game!
• Psych! My lost keys were in my coat pocket.
• Psych! They have given us free tickets.

Similar words: wow, hooray

Common phrases: psych we won, psych at last

Related to rock music with unusual sounds that suggest dreamlike experiences.

• They play psych rock.
• Her new psych album features long guitar solos.
• Several local psych bands performed at the festival.

Similar words: psychedelic

Common phrases: psych rock, psych band, psych album