freak
/friːk/ (bre, ipa) · /friːk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrēk/ (ame, mw)
freak — noun
- freaksingular
- freaksplural
1. someone whose dedication to a specific hobby, interest, or pastime is unusually
someone whose dedication to a specific hobby, interest, or pastime is unusually strong
Mizuki is a total fitness freak who goes to the gym at five every morning.
compound: 'fitness freak'
João's brother is a history freak and can name every Roman emperor in order.
Hassan is such a control freak that he plans every minute of the trip.
Élise is a grammar freak who corrects everyone's use of semicolons.
- enthusiast
neutral and positive; does not suggest an unhealthy level of interest
- fanatic
stronger, often with a negative tone similar to 'freak' but slightly more formal
文法句型
[subject] + freak
control freak
health freak
fitness freak
用法筆記
Usually combined with a preceding noun to specify the area of interest. The compound 'control freak' is the most common and has a distinctly negative meaning — it describes someone who needs to control everything.
常見錯誤
2. a living being, object, or situation that is so unusual or abnormal that it stan
a living being, object, or situation that is so unusual or abnormal that it stands out clearly from what is normal or expected
Villagers called the white deer a freak of nature after it was born.
collocation: 'freak of nature'
The tomato that grew in the shape of a human hand was a complete freak.
Joaquín spotted a purple grasshopper and called it a freak of nature.
That storm was a freak — it came out of nowhere and lasted only ten minutes.
- oddity
less negative; suggests curiosity rather than disgust
- anomaly
more formal and technical, common in science and statistics
- aberration
formal; suggests a temporary departure from the normal pattern
文法句型
freak + of nature
用法筆記
Can be offensive when used to describe a person with a physical difference or unusual appearance. The phrase 'freak of nature' is more neutral and often used for animals or natural phenomena.
常見錯誤
freak — verb
- freakpresent simple I / you / we / they
- freaks3rd person singular
- freaking-ing form
- freakedpast simple
1. to react with sudden and strong emotion, such as fear, anger, or excitement, oft
to react with sudden and strong emotion, such as fear, anger, or excitement, often in a way that seems out of control
When Ava saw the spider on her pillow, she completely freaked out.
intransitive: 'freak out'
The sudden loud noise from the construction site freaked the cat out.
transitive: 'freak + object + out'
Aarav freaked out with joy when he saw his exam results.
Don't freak out, but I accidentally spilled coffee on your laptop.
文法句型
freak out
freak + noun + out
freak + out + noun
用法筆記
The phrasal verb form 'freak out' is far more common than the bare verb 'freak'. The bare form ('He freaked') can be used but sounds informal. The transitive form ('The news freaked me out') uses 'out' as a separable particle.
常見錯誤
freak — adjective
- freakpositive
- freakercomparative
- freakestsuperlative
1. describing a very unusual event that happens by chance and seems to go against w
describing a very unusual event that happens by chance and seems to go against what is normal or expected
A freak wave, three times taller than the others, appeared without warning and hit the boat.
collocation: 'freak wave' — unexpected and abnormally large
The athlete broke his leg in a freak accident during warm-up.
collocation: 'freak accident'
A freak snowstorm hit the city in April, closing all the schools.
The farmer lost his crop in a freak hailstorm that lasted just five minutes.
文法句型
freak + noun
用法筆記
Used only before nouns (attributive position), not after linking verbs. You can say 'a freak accident' but NOT 'the accident was freak.' The closely related adjective 'freakish' can be used predicatively.