panic

¹ American  

[pan-ik] / ˈpæn ɪk /

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   fear, alarm

2. an instance, outbreak, or period of such fear.

3. 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.

4. Slang. someone or something that is considered hilariously funny.

   The comedian was an absolute panic.

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adjective

1. of the nature of, caused by, or indicating panic.

   A wave of panic buying shook the stock market.

2. (of fear, terror, etc.) suddenly destroying the self-control and impelling to some frantic action.

3. Panic, of or relating to the god Pan.

verb (used with object)

panicked, panicking

1. to affect with panic; terrify and cause to flee or lose self-control.

2. Slang. to keep (an audience or the like) highly amused.

verb (used without object)

panicked, panicking

1. to be stricken with panic; become frantic with fear.

   The herd panicked and stampeded.

panic ² American  

[pan-ik] / ˈpæn ɪk /

noun

1. Also called panic grass.  any grass of the genus Panicum, many species of which bear edible grain.

2. the grain.

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panic ¹ British  

/ ˈpænɪk /

noun

1. a sudden overwhelming feeling of terror or anxiety, esp one affecting a whole group of people

2. (modifier) of or resulting from such terror

   panic measures

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verb

1. to feel or cause to feel panic

Panic ² British  

/ ˈpænɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the god Pan

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panic Idioms  

1. see push the panic button.

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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

The platform has a cable-free design, so a bit of panic was understandable.

From Barron's

In a panic, I wiped out my Marriott points and booked a room at the AC Hotel San Juan Condado for Saturday night.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Oklahoma City wouldn't panic after dropping six of 12 games since their blazing 24-1 start to the season.

From Barron's

Shoppers have relied on messaging apps to track grocery supplies across the city as crises in recent years have sparked bouts of panic buying.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The Doctors’ Riot of 1788” centers on the New York incident but also tells the broader story of medicine in the early American republic, including quack cures and smallpox panics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• alarm
• confusion
• consternation
• dismay
• dread
• fear
• frenzy
• horror
• hysteria
• rush
• scare
• stampede
• terror
• trepidation