stress out

Idioms and Phrases

Subject to or undergo extreme pressure or strain, as from working. For example, I badly need a vacation; I'm just plain stressed out from this job and its aggravations . The verb stress has meant “afflict with hardship” or “distress” since the 16th century, but the phrase stress out , alluding to psychological stress, dates only from the 1940s.

Example Sentences

Side characters are gunned down in “The Instigators,” but the vibe is always that of a lark made by pros who didn’t stress out about exerting themselves.

From Los Angeles Times

“The doctor says, ‘well if you get pregnant it’s a geriatric pregnancy’ — how is that word allowed to be used?" she asked. "In the same breath, they tell you, ‘Don’t stress out, just relax.’

From Salon

You couldn’t see them losing the lead, but adding to it would have taken all stress out of the situation.

From BBC

So don't stress out too much about using a bit of seed oils in your cooking if you are generally focused on all the right things.

From Salon

"A lot of people feel the pressure trying to afford to give smaller gifts, like their schoolkid's friend or a niece or nephew, and we tried to take the stress out of that as best we could," she said.

From BBC

More About Stress Out

What does stress out mean?

Stress out means to cause someone to experience emotional stress, especially by being a repeated source of it, as in You’re really stressing me out by bringing up this topic over and over again.

The adjective stressed-out means experiencing a lot of stress. Someone described as stressed-out has been stressed out by someone or something (or, as is often the case, by a combination of different factors). The adjective stressed can mean the same thing. Both terms often imply that the level of stress is intense or higher than usual—that stress has built up and is becoming hard to deal with.

Stress out can also mean to experience stress. This sense of the word is often followed by the word about and the thing causing the stress, as in Don’t stress out about the meeting—it’s not a big deal.

Example: The week of final exams always stresses out my students, so I always remind them to practice self-care.

Where does stress out come from?

The first records of the phrasal verb stress out come from around the 1940s, and the adjective form stressed-out came later. In both terms, the word out can be thought of as meaning something like “thoroughly” or “completely.” It’s used in similar ways in other informal verbs involving deterioration of emotional, mental, or physical states, such as freak out, wear out, and burn out.

Saying that something is stressing you out usually means that the stress has accumulated. This can be from things that have already happened or that are happening or from worries about things that will or might happen. The variety of different things that can stress someone out is unlimited.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to stress out?

• stressed-out (adjective)

What are some synonyms for stress out?

• stress
• frazzle

What are some words that share a root or word element with stress out? 

 

• stress
• out
• burned-out
• worn-out

What are some words that often get used in discussing stress out?

• anxiety
• pressure
• work
• overwhelmed
• exhausted
• weary
• worried

How is stress out used in real life?

Stress out is informal and very common. It can be used in all kinds of situations.

Me: I’ve been so stressed out, I should take some me time to relax
Me: *stresses out about taking me time instead of working on the things that are stressing me out*

— perhasp (@ImposterHannah) November 11, 2020

Money stressing you out? 😱 It doesn't have to! Our Community Education program is digging into financial literacy topics and hosting sessions from money and marriage to investing. Read up and sign up 💵 #financialliteracy https://t.co/Xnf3vYax9x pic.twitter.com/1FNXC1V1kE

— OCC (@OnondagaCC) November 10, 2020

 

i am stressing out about what holiday gifts to get my friends & family way more than i should be

— bmic (@brookemiccio) November 14, 2020

Try using stress out!

Which of the following terms can be thought of as an antonym (opposite) of stress out?

A. work up
B. burn out
C. calm down
D. tired out