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• panic
  panic

  noun

  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.
• Panic
  Panic

  adjective

  of or relating to the god Pan

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)

• panics,
  present (3rd person singular)
• panicked,
  past participle,  past
• panicking
  present participle

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)

• panics,
  present (3rd person singular)
• panicked,
  past participle,  past
• panicking
  present participle

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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Synonym Usage

See terror.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• panicky
  adjective
• unpanicky
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• panicking
  present
• panicked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• panic
  simple
• panics
  simple
• have panicked
  perfect
• has panicked
  perfect
• am panicking
  progressive
• are panicking
  progressive
• is panicking
  progressive
• have been panicking
  perfect progressive
• has been panicking
  perfect progressive

Past

• panicked
  simple
• had panicked
  perfect
• was panicking
  progressive
• were panicking
  progressive
• had been panicking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will panic
  simple
• will have panicked
  perfect
• will be panicking
  progressive
• will have been panicking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of panic¹

First recorded in 1580–90; earlier panique, from French, from Greek Panikós “of Pan”; see Pan, -ic

Origin of panic²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English panik, from Latin pānicum “Italian millet”

Explanation

To panic is to become filled with fear and anxiety. Someone in a panic is totally freaking out. Have you ever heard someone say "Don't panic"? That's easier said than done. People panic when they lose control over themselves because of fear, stress, or danger. A pilot who runs into turbulence and then flees from the cockpit has panicked. A surgeon who makes a mistake might panic for a second, before chilling out and helping the patient. It's hard to do a good job when you panic. Panicking is pretty much the opposite of relaxing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

panic Panic panics panicked panicking

The result might not have gone their way, but a 3-0 away defeat by Arsenal in the opening game of the season is hardly a cause for panic for a newly promoted side anyway.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Fundstrat’s Mark Newton says it’s not time to panic about surging bond yields driving a deeper stock rout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

“I’m in a panic over this lettuce situation,” she admits, referring to the cyclosporiasis outbreaks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The global financial crisis and the bear market of the early 2000s after the internet bust were driven by fear and panic.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

If the bedroom I shared with Camille had ever looked this messy, Dad would have had a panic attack.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Matt said Manchester-based punk band Loose Articles were the first band to come on board, as the drummer's mum lives in Cwmbran, as well as Welsh band Panic Shack.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Appeared in the May 21, 2026, print edition as 'The Panic Industry’s New Target'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

"Anxiety about emerging technologies is nothing new," said researcher Nirit Weiss-Blatt, whose Substack newsletter "AI Panic" covers the growing hostility towards artificial intelligence.

From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026

Petracca opened up with Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Goin Down” to set the sing-a-long tone before blistering through a set of remixes to songs by beloved emo and pop-punk artists such as Panic!

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

“Yeah. Anxiety. Panic attacks. The works. I’m an old pro.”

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

She panics on red carpets and says interviews make her nervous, although she certainly doesn’t seem it today.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

While they fight over custody she panics and plans to run away with Nino.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Until the railroad boom of the 18th century’s second half, the U.S. was actually lagging the U.K., owing to major panics in 1819 and 1837.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 3, 2026

Whenever somebody stares at Sasha-Jay Davies in a supermarket, she panics, thinking they recognise her face and are about to confront her.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026

Spencer, the boy who sits next to me in science, panics.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

"The water remained low for quite some time, so everyone panicked and ran - I went around to the community health centre, and the people there had already been evacuated."

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

"Suddenly it started to shake and I panicked," 31-year-old hospital customer service official and Maumere resident, Lukas Lotar, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

“I was panicked and I wasn’t thinking straight.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Many Iranian Jews panicked in 1979 after the new leaders arrested and executed Habib Elghanian on charges of Zionist espionage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Each time I panicked and filled my lungs and stomach with what felt like half the lake.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

“I’ve been saying ‘bond traders can stop panicking when the Fed starts panicking.’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

"People were panicking, running here and there. We're evacuating for the time being... and trying to get to the hills," he said, adding: "My family is safe. No one was harmed."

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Markets stop panicking when policymakers stop panicking,” Lee said, quoting billionaire hedge-fund manager David Tepper.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

His friend Scarlett was the one who enthusiastically pushed Nasa’s hand up when Hurwitz, panicking, asked if anyone in the audience was an “amazing sight reader.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Dozens of Smokies ran about, some trying to put out the fires, some trying to escape, some simply panicking.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Related Words

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