freak out
Britishverb
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Experience or cause to experience hallucinations, paranoia, or other frightening feelings as a result of taking a mind-altering drug. For example, They were freaking out on LSD or some other drug . [ Slang ; mid-1960s]
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Behave or cause to behave irrationally and uncontrollably, with enthusiasm, excitement, fear, or madness. For example, The band's wild playing made the audience freak out , or It was such a close accident, it really freaked me out , or She freaked out and ended up in the psychiatric ward . [ Slang ; 1960s] Also see flip one's lid ; wig out .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That is a guideline, so don’t freak out if you are not on track yet to reach that milestone yet.
From MarketWatch • May 30, 2026
I think you’d freak out the good people of Bloomington.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Sometimes, investors freak out when a company makes a deal.
From Barron's • Dec. 8, 2025
“I’d freak out when I got home,” Martinez said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025
Next to Ivy, June shifted, and Ivy wondered if she was thinking that her mom would probably freak out about the whole bacteria thing.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
