freak Hear it!

freak¹ Definition

freak (frēk)

noun

    1. a sudden fancy; odd notion; whim
    2. an odd or unusual happening
  1. any abnormal animal, person, or plant; monstrosity
  2. Slang
    1. a user of a specified narcotic, hallucinogen, etc. an acid freak
    2. a devotee or buff a rock freak
    3. hippie
  3. Archaic capriciousness
  4. Philately a postage stamp with an error that occurred in the printing or perforation process and is unique to the one stamp

Etymology: Early ModE < ? OE frician, to dance (> ME freking, whim, capricious conduct)

adjective

oddly different from what is usual or normal; queer; abnormal freak weather

transitive verb, intransitive verb

Slang freak out (see phrase)

freak¹ Idioms

freak out

Slang
  1. to experience, esp. in an extreme way, the mental reactions, hallucinations, etc. induced by a psychedelic drug
  2. to make or become very excited, distressed, disorganized, etc.
freak² Definition

freak (frēk)

transitive verb

Rare to streak or fleck

Etymology: ult. < IE (s)p(h)ereg- > freckle

freak Synonyms

freak

n.

  1. A caprice

    vagary, whim, crotchet; see fancy 3, impulse 2.

  2. An abnormal or odd person or thing

    monstrosity, monster, aberration, oddity, abnormality, rarity, anomaly, malformation, mutation, mutant, lusus naturae (Latin), grotesquerie, abortion, freak of nature, curiosity, rara avis (Latin), misfit, queer fish, black swan, sport, hybrid, mooncalf, changeling.

freak Usage Examples

Object

  • bit: My mom was there too, she was a bit freaked out!

Adjective modifier

  • neat: If you are a neat freak and cannot stand dust bunnies, consider a lower shedding breed.
  • extraordinary: You don't suppose _she_ has anything to do with this extraordinary freak of yours?
  • total: I feel like a total freak telling you this but I want help.

Modifies a noun

  • gust: After losing the balloon to a freak gust of wind mid-morning last year, the team is determined to avoid any risk of repetition.
  • accident: In a freak accident in February 1940, Leonard broke his neck.
  • thunderstorm: Having arrived and departed in freak thunderstorms it was rather eventful!
  • storm: A harvest can be devastated by a freak hail storm in August.
  • weather: We have all experienced " freak weather " over the last few years.
  • occurrence: In the past few years, weather events that would once have been written-off as freak occurrences have become more and more frequent.

Modifying Another Word

  • totally: My feelings ranged from totally freaked to kind of excited.
  • really: We used to really freak out people who were on acid.

Noun used with modifier

  • gadget: To me, a gadget freak, it scores 10/10 easily!
  • circus: It's becoming more like the old circus freak shows every year!
  • control: I think Nicole is a control freak - she asked Keith to give up his music genre!
  • fitness: They are probably a fitness freak trying to make a dollar!
  • speed: Shouldn't be a speed freak then should you Not sure how different my insurance is with 3 points on.

Used with why or when

  • who: The two or three freaks who still think HTML email is the way of the future can go hang.

Preposition: of

  • yours: You don't suppose _she_ has anything to do with this extraordinary freak of yours?
  • nature: The Tomorrow People were wrong, a mutation, a freak of nature.