psych out

English

Etymology

Recorded since 1934 (in sense of "outsmart"); from psych (short for psychology) + out.

Verb

psych out (third-person singular simple present psychs out, present participle psyching out, simple past and past participle psyched out)

1. (transitive, informal) To outsmart.
2. (transitive, informal) To unnerve.

Noun

psych out (plural psych outs)

1. (informal) The act of unnerving somebody.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2025), “psych”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• outpsych