—used to say that a previous statement was false or facetious
Psych! Just kidding, man.—Jeff Stark
No train in sight … Sike! Unbeknownst to me, the train was just coming up the hill …—Phase2 (Michael Lawrence Marrow), quoted in VIBE
2
—used to signal coyness or playful deception
… we know who won. But … psych! We can't tell you.—Angela Hill
… Jones raises his hand as if to smack Pericles, then freezes. His posture softens, and with the other hand, he reaches for a single finger to remove his ring … as a gift for Pericles to give to his own bride. Sike!—Lily Janiak
: to make (someone, such as oneself) psychologically ready especially for performance—often used with up
psyched herself up for the race
Did you know?
Sometime back in the 16th century, we borrowed the word psyche directly from Greek into English. In Greek mythology, Psyche was a beautiful princess who fell in love with Eros (Cupid), god of love, and went through terrible trials before being allowed to marry him. The story is often understood to be about the soul redeeming itself through love. (To the Greeks, psyche also meant "butterfly", which suggests how they imagined the soul.) In English, psyche often sounds less spiritual than soul, less intellectual than mind, and more private than personality.
Verb (1)
He was trying to psych himself before the race. Noun
some hidden corner within your psyche
disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist
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Verb
The Vulnerability Of Being On Camera Many executives psych themselves out about being on camera.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 Feb. 2026 That might mean donning an apron to psych yourself into becoming your most confident cook, adding garnishes when things feel lackluster and poking out your pinkie finger to remind yourself not to take things so seriously.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
As the writer and the actor spend time together, and the narrator tries to pry open some small window into M’s psyche, the process of gathering material is constantly being thwarted by M’s casual instructability.—Los Angeles Times,
24 Aug. 2026 That's one of those prices that just has a big impact on the consumer's psyche.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for psych
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