psych out
English edit
Etymology edit
Recorded since 1934 (in sense of "outsmart"); from psych (short for psychology) + out.
Verb edit
psych out (third-person singular simple present psychs out, present participle psyching out, simple past and past participle psyched out)
- (transitive, informal) To outsmart.
- (transitive, informal) To unnerve.
Noun edit
psych out (plural psych outs)
References edit
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “psych”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.