freaking out

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.
   • When Peter saw the nail poking up through his foot, he freaked out and started hyperventilating.

   Synonyms:

   set one's hair on fire, flip out, flip shit, flip one's shit

   Antonyms:

   bum out

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.
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.
   • On a personal level, Freaking Out is a process whereby an individual casts off outmoded and restricting standards of thinking, dress, and social etiquette in order to express CREATIVELY his relationship to his immediate environment and the social structure as a whole.1966, Frank Zappa, “Freak Out! liner notes”, in Freak Out!

See all 5 meanings of freak out