panic
1 Americannoun
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a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals.
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an instance, outbreak, or period of such fear.
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Finance. a sudden widespread fear concerning financial affairs leading to credit contraction and widespread sale of securities at depressed prices in an effort to acquire cash.
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Slang. someone or something that is considered hilariously funny.
The comedian was an absolute panic.
adjective
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of the nature of, caused by, or indicating panic.
A wave of panic buying shook the stock market.
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(of fear, terror, etc.) suddenly destroying the self-control and impelling to some frantic action.
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Panic, of or relating to the god Pan.
verb (used with object)
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to affect with panic; terrify and cause to flee or lose self-control.
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Slang. to keep (an audience or the like) highly amused.
verb (used without object)
noun
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Also called panic grass. any grass of the genus Panicum, many species of which bear edible grain.
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the grain.
noun
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a sudden overwhelming feeling of terror or anxiety, esp one affecting a whole group of people
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(modifier) of or resulting from such terror
panic measures
verb
adjective
Related Words
See terror.
Other Word Forms
- panicky adjective
- unpanicky adjective
Etymology
Origin of panic1
First recorded in 1580–90; earlier panique, from French, from Greek Panikós “of Pan”; Pan, -ic
Origin of panic2
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English panik, from Latin pānicum “Italian millet”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ruling sets an interesting precedent that appears to be creating a panic about a “Big Tobacco”-style surge of huge settlements yet.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
Shear says he first began his original screenplay with an image of a young man having a panic attack in the self-help section of a bookshop and grew the script from there.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
They don’t need notification systems built to trigger panic in a child who steps away from her phone.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The one before that appeared at the height of the COVID-19 panic on March 26, 2020, when the stock closed at $98.12.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
The only thing keeping me from absolute panic is knowing that she’s not going to come down and look for herself.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
