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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• panic attacks
  plural

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

panic attack

"I'm instantly broke, panic attack, phoning GPs, back on medication, anxiety through the roof," Gerry said.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

“A lot of nervousness,” Hernández said about playing again, mentioning that he had a panic attack when first learning of his worse-than-expected diagnosis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 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

Shear says he first began his original screenplay with an image of a young man having a panic attack in the self-help section of a bookshop and grew the script from there.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026

Years later, she’d had a panic attack at a water park in Denver, when Percy and she were assaulted by mechanical spiders.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• spasm

---