Meaning & use
trip out
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Meanings
phrasephrasal verbslanginformal
To react with great surprise, confusion or amazement, or to find something strange and exciting.
Grammar: No object, and often followed by on or about, or used as a command: trip out on something.
Patterns
- trip out about something
- trip out on something
I tripped out when I saw my old teacher at the concert.
She tripped out about how much the town had changed.
Don't trip out, it is only a prank.
phrasephrasal verbslanginformal
To become overly anxious, panicky or upset about something, sometimes too much.
Grammar: No object, and used in casual speech, usually with about.
Patterns
- trip out over something
He tripped out over a small mistake in his essay.
Stop tripping out, the test is next week.
She tripped out when she lost her keys.
phrasephrasal verbslang
To have a strange, dreamlike mental experience, especially after taking a drug.
Grammar: No object, usually describing a drug experience in informal speech.
Patterns
- trip out on something
In the 1960s, some people took drugs to trip out.
He said he tripped out on the lights at the concert.
They sat back and tripped out at the colors of the sunset.
Word forms
| third person singular | trips out |
|---|---|
| past tense | tripped out |
| past participle | tripped out |
| -ing form | tripping out |
Common combinations
- trip out about
- I'm tripping out about how fast the year went.
- trip out on
- We tripped out on the old photos.
- totally trip out
- I totally tripped out when I heard the news.
- don't trip out
- Don't trip out, everything will be fine.
- make someone trip out
- Seeing the huge view made me trip out.
Synonyms and how they differ
- freak out
- Freak out is the closest and often means a stronger loss of control, while trip out can mean wonder as well.
- flip out
- Flip out usually suggests anger or a strong emotional reaction.
- be amazed
- Be amazed is neutral and standard, while trip out sounds casual and playful.
- panic
- Panic is a general, serious word for sudden fear, with none of the slang flavor.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: trip out or trip up?
trip out vs trip up
Trip up means to stumble or make a mistake, so it is not a close match for trip out.
Practice
A friend says, Don't trip out, it was only a joke. What does the friend want you to do?
Choose one answer.
In this slang use, trip out means to overreact or panic, so the friend is asking you to calm down. It has nothing to do with travel or going outdoors.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trip out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.