psych

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Also seen as: sike · syke

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Used to indicate jokingly that a statement which one has made was false and that one has successfully fooled the person whom one is speaking to; just kidding!, not!, tricked you!

Register: informal, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Here, have fifty dollars. Psych! That was two dollars!

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Used to express surprised happiness; wow!

Register: informal, slang

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “psych” mean?

Used to indicate jokingly that a statement which one has made was false and that one has successfully fooled the person whom one is speaking to; just kidding!, not!, tricked you!

Is “psych” formal or informal?

psych is generally informal, slang.