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.
Investors freak out in October, but that doesn’t always mean they should.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
And that ability to just not freak out goes back to his dad and the non-confrontational approach to everything, just waiting it out.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
I knew people would freak out at the reveal, it’s such an exciting moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 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
In humanities class, people are starting to freak out and second-guess their paradoxes.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
