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.
You have to stay present and not freak out or panic … We’ve got great people in that locker room.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
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
Don’t freak out, but don’t be naive, either.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
"If you were, like, 'There's turbulence up ahead, I don't know if we're actually going to land in Dallas'... everyone on the plane is going to freak out," she explains.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
“Olivia says, don’t freak out, but when you get to Pittsburgh, the Young Feminist Alliance club of a certain university is bringing you in to talk to some students. Wait, what? Tell her yourself!”
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
