I. freak 1 /friːk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Perhaps from Old English frician 'to dance' ]
1 . informal someone who is extremely interested in a particular subject so that other people think they are strange or unusual:
a fitness freak
a religious freak
a computer freak
2 . someone who is considered to be very strange because of the way they look, behave, or think SYN weirdo :
These glasses make me look like a freak.
Women who studied engineering used to be considered freaks.
3 . a control freak someone who always wants to control situations and other people
4 . ( also freak of nature ) something in nature that is very unusual:
Due to some freak of nature, it snowed in June.
5 . an unexpected and very unusual event:
By some freak of fate, he walked away from the crash completely unhurt.
April’s sales figures were a freak.
II. freak 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
unexpected and very unusual:
a freak result
He was crushed to death in a freak accident.
freak wind/wave/storm etc
The men drowned when a freak wave sank their boat.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ events/situations
▪ unusual different from what usually happens:
We had snow in May, which is very unusual.
▪ rare not happening very often, or existing only in small numbers:
Violent crimes are rare.
|
Hatton gathered many rare plants from all over the world.
▪ exceptional /ɪkˈsepʃ ə nəl/ very unusual and happening very rarely:
90-day visas can be extended only in exceptional circumstances.
|
The presence of a jury in a civil trial is now quite exceptional.
▪ out of the ordinary unusual and surprising or special:
It was a small village where nothing out of the ordinary ever seemed to happen.
▪ freak extremely unusual and unexpected - used about an accident, storm etc:
A freak wave wrecked most of the seafront.
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Their car was crushed by a tree in a freak accident.
▪ unprecedented /ʌnˈpresədentəd, ʌnˈpresɪdentəd/ if something is unprecedented, it has never happened before - often used about successes and achievements:
An unprecedented number of students have received top grades.
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This kind of deal is unprecedented.
▪ unheard of if something is unheard of, it has never happened or been done before - used especially when something seems very surprising to people at that time:
In our small town, this kind of crime was almost unheard of.
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unheard-of luxuries such as electric windows and air-conditioning
III. freak 3 BrE AmE verb [intransitive] informal
to become suddenly angry or afraid, especially so that you cannot control your behaviour SYN flip :
When Ben heard about the accident, he just freaked.
freak out phrasal verb informal
to become very anxious, upset, or afraid, or make someone very anxious, upset, or afraid:
People just freaked out when they heard the news.
freak somebody out
The whole idea freaked me out.