psych
psych Lexical Profile
psych Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Psychology or psychiatry, especially as an academic subject or hospital department (informal).
"She decided to major in psych after taking an introductory course her freshman year."
• verb
To prepare oneself or someone else mentally for a demanding task or occasion, or to make someone enthusiastic (usually followed by "up").
"The coach gave a passionate speech to psych the team up before the championship match."
To intimidate,unnerve, or outwit an opponent mentally so that they lose confidence (usually followed by "out").
"The veteran tennis player tried to psych out the rookie during the warm-up."
• interjection
North American An exclamation used to indicate that one's previous statement was a joke or trick, and not meant to be taken seriously.
"I bought you a brand-new sports car for your birthday—psych!"
Word Nuance & Usage
Often misspelled as "sike" in informal contexts when used as an interjection to indicate a joke, though "psych" remains the standard etymological spelling.
• Rhymes for psych
Word Origin & Etymology
Originated in late 19th-century American student slang as a clipping of "psychology," ultimately from Ancient Greek psyche ("breath, soul, mind").