to make happily excited or full of eager anticipation.
Your stories about Edinburgh have psyched me more than ever for my trip there next year!
to prepare mentally and emotionally so as to be in the right frame of mind to do one's best (often followed byup ).
He sat with his eyes closed in the aircraft, psyching himself for his first parachute jump.
to intimidate, make nervous, mislead, etc., in order to gain an advantage.
A good chess player knows how to psych the opponent.
psych out. see psych-out.
psych up
to prepare mentally and emotionally for a challenge.
I have to psych myself up for the annual family reunion.
to create excitement and eager anticipation in.
Beach parties, road trips, stargazing, barbecues—here are 10 tunes to psych you up for summer!
psychological.
psychologist.
psychology.
What does psych- mean? Psych- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning either “psyche” or "psychological." Psyche denotes "the human soul, spirit, or mind," while psychological is a related yet distinct term that means "pertaining to psychology, the science of the mind or of mental states." Psych- is often used in medical and technical terms, especially in psychology. Psych- comes from Greek psȳchḗ, meaning “breath, spirit, soul, mind.” For more on the meaning of this word in Ancient Greek mythology, read our entry for psyche. The word psyche is at the root of the term psychedelic, which refers to the effect of hallucinogenic drugs. What are variants of psych-?Psych- is a variant of psycho-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about psycho-.
First recorded in 1915–20 in earlier sense “to subject to psychoanalysis”; originally a shortening of psychoanalyze; in later use (especially in psych 1 defs. 2, 3 ), perhaps as independent use of psych-
First recorded in 1890–95; by shortening
First recorded in 1985–90
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I'll psych her out a little bit - she won't admit it but I can see her coming apart at the seams already..."
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025
“You’ve got to kind of, not psych yourself up,” she says, “but you’ve got to fake it till you make it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025
Their psych ward meet-cute isn't as romantic as it sounds — I promise.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2024
After unburdening herself from the bipolar diagnosis she had received as a child, she got off psych meds.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2024
That night as I rode the train home, I had to try to psych myself up for working with Sam again for another three months.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Inner Wave is the latest in a boomlet of young Latinx psych- and oldies-influenced acts from well outside L.A.’s hipsterville neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2018
This is a woman who psychs herself up in the mirror and raps to herself, in order to ...
From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2017
“He’s like Muhammad Ali, he psychs out all the other horses,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2017
Before trials, he psychs himself up by yelling “Showtime!,” in a nod to “All That Jazz.”
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 6, 2015
You can also designate a "Fit Song," so at the touch of a button you hear the tune that always psychs you up to go all out.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2012
If the psychs were right, he's fixated on you, now.
From Youngling A Terran Empire story by Wilson, Ann
"I picked up the hammer, stuck on Frankie goes to Hollywood's Two Tribes, got myself psyched up and went outside."
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
I psyched myself up to argue and dialed the customer service number on the back of the bill.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2026
The SNL actor said his hosts were "psyched" he wore a kilt and he "had the best dinner ever".
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025
And then I’m just psyched that they decided to go with my idea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
Father is all psyched up to stay here forever, I think.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Of course, there are limits to taking a Panglossian attitude and psyching ourselves up in the face of challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
"I knew how toxic it can be. You're psyching yourself up for it, so to hear that you aren't going to need it is just unbelievable," she says.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2023
His ability to read the room and know his players have helped Daniels coach Joseph through multiple slumps, favoring the less-is-more approach to keep from psyching his kicker out.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
Clever on and off the court, Medvedev enjoys psyching out his opponents not only with his combination of impenetrable defense and sneaky offense but with his needling comments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2022
He wanted to think the old man was just psyching him out, but something told him the prediction was true.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
