panic attack

American

noun

Psychiatry.

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

panic attack British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

I had a panic attack in that venue in North London when I was supporting Wu-Tang Clan.

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

The panic attack I had that day was because I overreacted to something I shouldn’t have reacted to.

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

panic attack

noun

noun

Example Sentences

Related Words