anxiety attack

American

[ang-zahy-i-tee uh-tak] / æŋˈzaɪ ɪ ti əˌtæk /

noun

a sudden, intense feeling or episode of anxiety, typically accompanied by physical symptoms such as increased heart rate; a less acute panic attack.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

anxiety attacks

plural

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.

See Examples For:

anxiety attack

He has admitted that after one anxiety attack on stage in 2018 he contemplated quitting the sport.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2025

Lucy Yu wasn’t sure if she had smoke in her lungs or was having an anxiety attack.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2024

Hell, I’m Googling right now which restaurants serve roo-burgers just so I can assert some dominance and quell the anxiety attack.

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2023

“No. I want you to explain why I had an anxiety attack the other night.”

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2023

One night he had an anxiety attack that woke him up.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023