1 A2 idiomatic informal
To cause someone to feel very anxious, worried, or under pressure.
"All these last-minute changes to the schedule are really stressing me out."
separable
stress out
A2 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To feel or cause someone to feel extremely anxious, worried, or overwhelmed.
In plain English
To feel very worried and nervous, or to make someone else feel that way.
What does "stress out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 idiomatic informal
To feel extreme anxiety or tension yourself.
"She tends to stress out before any kind of public performance."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
Stress (pressure/tension) completely overtakes you — 'out' implies full state change.
Actually means
To feel very worried and nervous, or to make someone else feel that way.
Usage tip
Extremely common in everyday spoken English, especially among younger speakers. Can be used transitively ('that stresses me out') or intransitively ('I stress out before exams'). The adjective 'stressed out' is equally common.
Words that pair with "stress out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
exam deadline money work traffic relationship
How to conjugate "stress out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
stress out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
stresses out
he/she/it
Past simple
stressed out
yesterday
Past participle
stressed out
have + pp
-ing form
stressing out
continuous
Hear "stress out" in the wild
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