ENGLISH
REFERENCE

freak out

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford Informal

phr. v.. to suddenly feel very shocked, scared, or angry. You use this when someone loses their cool because of a surprise or a problem.

phr. v.. to experience or cause someone to experience a sudden, intense emotional reaction, typically involving fear, shock, or anger; functions as both an intransitive and transitive phrasal verb.


SIMPLE

Don't freak out, but I lost your keys.

CONTEXTUAL

The loud noise freaked out the cat, and it hid under the sofa for hours.

COMPLEX

Investors began to freak out as the market indices plummeted, leading to a wave of panic selling across the global exchanges.

Origin

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).

Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
freak + out (+ object)
Usage

very common in spoken English; can be used with or without an object.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'panic' to show that 'freak out' often implies a more visible or dramatic loss of control; it is a high-frequency item in pop culture and media.

Pitfall

He was freak out by the news.He was freaked out by the news.the verb must be conjugated in the past participle form when used in the passive voice.

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