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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

psych.

Clipping of psychiatry.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Clipping of psychiatry.

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · uncountable
  2. Clipping of psychiatry. A psychiatric hospital or other treatment facility; also, a psychiatric department or ward in such a facility.

    attributive · informal · often · uncountable
    He had to be involuntarily committed to the psych ward.
  3. Clipping of psychology.

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · uncountable
    I took psych in my freshman year at college.
Where this word comes from

Clipping of psychiatry and psychology.

verb/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Clipping of psychoanalyse (“to treat (someone) using psychoanalysis”); also, to carry out psychological testing on (someone).

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · transitive
  2. Chiefly followed by out: to analyse (something), especially psychologically; also (generally), to work out (something).

    attributive · broadly · informal · often · transitive
Where this word comes from

Clipping of psychoanalyse.

verb/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Often followed by out: to deceive, intimidate, or otherwise manipulate (someone or oneself) emotionally or using psychology.

    also · attributive · informal · often · reflexive · transitive
  2. Often followed by up: to put (someone or oneself) into a mental or psychological state where one is ready for some (often challenging) experience; specifically, to make (someone or oneself) enthusiastic or excited about something.

    also · attributive · informal · often · reflexive · transitive
    Hip hop always gets me psyched, so I put it on before a race.
  3. Of a person: to get into a mental or psychological state where one is ready for some (often challenging) experience; specifically, to make oneself enthusiastic or excited about something.

    attributive · informal · intransitive · often · transitive
  4. Followed by out: to become mentally confused or disturbed.

    US · attributive · informal · intransitive · often · transitive
Where this word comes from

The verb is a clipping of psychologize. The interjection is probably derived from the verb.

intj/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Used to indicate jokingly that a statement which one has made was false and that one has successfully fooled the person whom one is speaking to; just kidding!, not!, tricked you!

    attributive · informal · often · slang · transitive
    Here, have fifty dollars. Psych! That was two dollars!
    I broke up with my girlfriend. Here’s her number. Psych! That’s the wrong number!
  2. Used to express surprised happiness; wow!

    attributive · informal · often · slang · transitive
    Psych! I just found my missing bracelet!
Where this word comes from

The verb is a clipping of psychologize. The interjection is probably derived from the verb.

verb/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. To make (a bid) intended to mislead opponents by giving a false impression about one's hand of playing cards.

    attributive · informal · often · slang · transitive
  2. To deceive (an opponent or opponents) with such a psychic bid.

    attributive · informal · often · slang · transitive
  3. To make a bid intended to mislead opponents by giving a false impression about one's hand of playing cards; to make a psychic bid.

    attributive · informal · intransitive · often · slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

The noun is a clipping of psychic (noun). The verb is a clipping of psychic (adjective) in psychic bid. It is attested slightly earlier than the noun.

adj/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Clipping of psychedelic (“of, containing, generating, or reminiscent of drug-induced altered awareness, distortions of perception, hallucinations, etc.”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · slang · transitive
    curtains with psych colours    psych-rock
  2. Of or relating to psychedelic rock music.

    attributive · informal · often · slang · transitive
    a psych album    a psych band
Where this word comes from

The adjective is a clipping of psychedelic (adjective). The noun is a clipping of psychedelic rock.

noun/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Clipping of psychiatrist.

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often
  2. Clipping of psychologist; also, a clipping of psychoanalyst.

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often
Where this word comes from

Clipping of psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and psychologist.

noun/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Clipping of psychic (“a person who possesses, or appears to possess, extra-sensory abilities such as clairvoyance, precognition, and telepathy, or who appears to be susceptible to paranormal or supernatural influences”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · rare · slang · transitive
  2. Clipping of psychic or psychic bid (“a bid intended to mislead opponents by giving a false impression about one's hand of playing cards”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

The noun is a clipping of psychic (noun). The verb is a clipping of psychic (adjective) in psychic bid. It is attested slightly earlier than the noun.

noun/saɪk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Clipping of psychedelic rock (“a genre of rock music influenced by psychedelia, blues, electronic music, folk music, jazz, and the hippie counterculture of the 1960s”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · attributive · clipping · informal · often · slang · transitive · uncountable
Where this word comes from

The adjective is a clipping of psychedelic (adjective). The noun is a clipping of psychedelic rock.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.