1
: an act or instance of freaking out
2
: a gathering of hippies

Examples of freak-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Every so often, the E.R. is visited by rats, little symbols of disrepair and instigators of slapstick freak-outs. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025 Enter another Jamie freak-out, which seems to come out of nowhere. Marah Eakin, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025 No one is really disputing it, but the market freak-out hinges on the truthfulness of a single and relatively unknown company. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025 The situation at the heart of the movie goes from bad to worse along a linear trajectory, but the horror freak-out promised by its eeriest moments never really bothers to materialize. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025 There's not the same freak-out about immigration in Canada. Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2016 But the Democratic freak-out commenced soon after Biden came to the stage. Jared Gans, The Hill, 1 Apr. 2025 Enter another Jamie freak-out, which seems to come out of nowhere. Marah Eakin, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025 No one is really disputing it, but the market freak-out hinges on the truthfulness of a single and relatively unknown company. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of freak-out was in 1966

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Cite this Entry

“Freak-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freak-out. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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