panic attack

American  

noun

Psychiatry.

panic attacks plural

1. an intense attack of anxiety characterized by feelings of impending doom and trembling, sweating, pounding heart, and other physical symptoms.

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panic attack British  

noun

1. an episode of acute and disabling anxiety associated with such physical symptoms as hyperventilation and sweating See also panic disorder

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• panic attacks
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

panic attack

My character has a panic attack at the end of Episode 1 at this particular music venue in North London.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

On the main stage, May Habib, chief executive of an AI platform called Writer, told the audience that Fortune 500 bosses are having a "collective panic attack" on the subject.

From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026

Irish filmmaker John Kelly, who specializes in animation, had a panic attack on an airplane while going through endless flagged emails.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026

Equities fell again on the bad news, but none of this is a cause for a panic attack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

“You’re worried you’ll have another panic attack while you’re what?”

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Related Words

• spasm