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# freaking

adjective and adverb (freaking — slang intensifier, mainly US); verb form (freak, freaks, freaked, freaking; «freak out»)

«freaking» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (slang, mild swearing) a softer stand-in for the f-word, used to add strong feeling: «It's freaking cold!» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#m1)
2. (informal) «freaking out» = becoming very scared, upset or excited. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#m2)
3. (literal verb) «freaking someone out» = scaring or upsetting them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#m3)

### In the lessons

Common among teenagers and in American TV; much milder than the word it replaces but still rough slang. Not for school writing or polite company. US, Canada, and spreading worldwide.

### Examples

- That test was freaking hard. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x1)
- Stop freaking out, it's just a spider. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x2)
- This pizza is freaking amazing! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x3)
- The haunted house totally freaked me out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x4)
- I'm freaking tired after football practice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x5)
- Mum was freaking out when she couldn't find the baby. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x6)
- Where's my freaking phone? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x7)
- Saying "freaking" in class might still get you a warning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/#x8)

### Note

Trap: it is a minced oath, so some adults still find it rude. «Freaking out» is about panic or excitement, not swearing. Plain words: very, really; «freak out» = panic.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «freaking» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freaking/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«freaking» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/freaking.html) on Mova free.