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freak out

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also: freakout and freak-out

English

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Etymology

From freak + out. Countercultural slang, originally referring to a positive reaction or experience from the use of a psychotropic, usually a hallucinogenic or psychedelic drug. First use appears c. 1966 in several newspapers, particularly in the Independent (Long Beach, California).

Pronunciation

Noun

freak out (plural freak outs)

  1. (dated slang) A negative or unpleasant experience with LSD or another psychedelic drug.
    Antonyms: bummer, bum trip

Verb

freak out (third-person singular simple present freaks out, present participle freaking out, simple past and past participle freaked out)

  1. (informal, intransitive) To react with extreme anger or fear, to the extent that one loses one's composure or behaves irrationally.
    Synonyms: set one's hair on fire, flip out, flip shit, flip one's shit
    Antonym: bum out
    When Peter saw the nail poking up through his foot, he freaked out and started hyperventilating.
    • 1991, Callie Khouri, Thelma & Louise:
      Jimmy'll come in off the road, you won't be there, he'll freak out and call you a hundred thousand times...
  2. (informal, transitive) To scare or unnerve someone.
    Don't take off your shirt when working behind the counter. You'll freak the customers out.
    • 2012 June 3, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Mr. Plow” (season 4, episode 9; originally aired 11/19/1992)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎:
      Even the blithely unselfconscious Homer is more than a little freaked out by West’s private reverie, and encourages his spawn to move slowly away without making eye contact with the crazy man.
  3. (informal, intransitive) To be upset or nervous; to be scared or unnerved.
  4. (informal, intransitive) To adopt an unconventional (especially countercultural) persona or appearance.
    • 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 213:
      Formed in the heart of the British Invasion in 1964 as the Nevadas, the Jacks decided to freak out and grow their hair long.

Descendants

  • >? Portuguese: fricote

Translations

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