Meanings
verbpsych out (third-person singular simple present psychs out, present participle psyching out, simple past and past participle psyched out)
present singular third person psychs out · participle present psyching out · participle past psyched out · past psyched out
Origin
Recorded since 1934 (in sense of "outsmart"); from psych (short for psychology) + out.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
psych out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psych%20out
MLA
“psych out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psych%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “psych out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psych%20out.
Source: psych out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.