# creep out

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/creep-out
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to make you feel nervous, uncomfortable, or scared in a strange way.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I am creeped out from that movie." but "I am creeped out by that movie." — the preposition 'by' is used to indicate the source of the feeling when using the passive form.

## Usage notes

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.