panic attack

American  

noun

Psychiatry.

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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Example Sentences

The character he plays may be subject to hilarious panic attacks, but he has a bright future.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Him leaving me on the beach sparked a panic attack. It just came over me like a tidal wave. It felt like an out-of-body experience," she says.

From BBC

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

From MarketWatch

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

From The Wall Street Journal

I was seconds away from what was sure to be an impressive panic attack when Regan snapped her head up.

From Literature

Related Words

• spasm