Phrasal verb
creep out
Informal
Definition
phrasal verb. to make you feel nervous, uncomfortable, or scared in a strange way.
phrasal verb. to cause a person to experience a sense of unease, revulsion, or fear, typically through behavior or an environment that feels uncanny or threatening.
Examples
“That old house really creeps me out at night.”
“The way he stares at people without blinking really creeps me out.”
“The abandoned asylum, with its peeling wallpaper and echoing corridors, was enough to creep out even the most experienced urban explorers.”
Examples
simple
“That old house really creeps me out at night.”
contextual
“The way he stares at people without blinking really creeps me out.”
complex
“The abandoned asylum, with its peeling wallpaper and echoing corridors, was enough to creep out even the most experienced urban explorers.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “creep out” in context.
Verb
01. creep out and avoid the house
“The neighborhood kids would creep out and avoid the house at the end of the street.”
verb + and + verb
02. creep out the neighbors
“His strange habit of standing in the garden at midnight really creeps out the neighbors.”
verb + noun
03. totally creep out the audience
“The horror movie's opening scene managed to totally creep out the audience.”
verb + adv + adj
Adverb
04. genuinely creep out the visitors
“The realistic wax figures in the museum genuinely creep out the visitors.”
adv + verb
05. slightly creep out the staff
“The flickering lights in the basement slightly creep out the staff during the night shift.”
adv + verb
Usage
almost always used with a person as the direct object.
Teaching tip
this is a highly productive informal expression; contrast it with 'scare' to show that 'creep out' is specifically about feeling uneasy or 'weirded out' rather than just afraid.
Pitfall
I am creeped out from that movie.
I am creeped out by that movie.
the preposition 'by' is used to indicate the source of the feeling when using the passive form.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
creep + object + out
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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