psych
verb (used with object)
to make happily excited or full of eager anticipation.
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psych
1 American
[sahyk]
/ saɪk /
Or
psyche
verb (used with object)
-
psychs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
psyched,
past participle, past
-
psyching
present participle
-
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.
interjection
verb phrase
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psych out. see psych-out.
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psych up
-
to prepare mentally and emotionally for a challenge.
I have to psych myself up for the annual family reunion.
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to create excitement and eager anticipation in.
Beach parties, road trips, stargazing, barbecues—here are 10 tunes to psych you up for summer!
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psych
2
American
[sahyk]
/ saɪk /
noun
Informal.
psych
3
American
[sahyk]
/ saɪk /
noun
adjective
psych-
4
American
psych.
5
American
abbreviation
-
psychological.
-
psychologist.
-
psychology.
psych
British
/ saɪk /
verb
Usage
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-.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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psychsimple
-
psychssimple
-
have psychedperfect
-
has psychedperfect
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am psychingprogressive
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are psychingprogressive
-
is psychingprogressive
-
have been psychingperfect progressive
-
has been psychingperfect progressive
Past
-
psychedsimple
-
had psychedperfect
-
was psychingprogressive
-
were psychingprogressive
-
had been psychingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of psych1
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-
Origin of psych2
First recorded in 1890–95; by shortening
Origin of psych3
First recorded in 1985–90
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.
See Examples For:
I also saw this same dynamic when working on a hospital psych unit as a counselor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Other acts to receive money from the first pot from the FAC's UK Artist Touring Fund include Southampton rapper VIC, London soul singer Ego Ella May, and Manchester psych noise group Wax Head.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
The Los Angeles Police Department’s psych test had found him unstable, and the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2025
Their psych ward meet-cute isn't as romantic as it sounds — I promise.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2024
It's like this monkey experiment Carla read about in her clinical psych class.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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
You fooled the top psychs of the Board.
From Masters of Space by Robert Lee Berry
If you’re anything like me, you’re psyched for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Soccer fans are psyched, and scammers aim to profit from that, L.A. sheriff’s officials say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
"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
I said, maybe a little overexcited because I was trying to get him psyched up.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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
“When I look at a combination of attributes of a player, I think Micah has no problem psyching himself up to a rage,” Jones said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2023
“He’s not thinking. We came in together and you can be worried about your future a little bit, what’s going to happen. You start psyching yourself out. I think he’s just playing free.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2021
“They’re unreliable,” one insisted, meaning that people allegedly made stuff up on them for the sole purpose of psyching each other out.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2016
I’ve been outside Kamal’s Hat for fifteen minutes, psyching myself up to knock on the door.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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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.
