psych
verb (used with object)
to make happily excited or full of eager anticipation.
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.
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
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
“Every day I get into my car, every day I decide to step out of my house, it’s a psyching up that I have to do to myself,” Ourlicht said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2020
“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
