panic button

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noun

an alarm button for use in an emergency, as to summon help.

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Idioms about panic button

push / hit / press the panic button, Informal. to give way to panic in a distressing situation.

Origin of panic button

Allegedly first used in reference to emergency bell systems on World War II bombers such as the B-17 and B-24

Words nearby panic button

panhuman, panic, panic attack, panic bar, panic bolt, panic button, panic buying, panic disorder, panic grass, panicle, panicmonger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use panic button in a sentence

A Missouri medical center has distributed panic buttons to about 400 employees after an increase in assaults on health care workers by people frustrated over coronavirus-induced visitation restrictions and long wait times.
We’re Losing Our Humanity, and the Pandemic Is to Blame|by Sarah Smith|October 7, 2021|ProPublica
In response to the violence, up to 400 staff members will soon have panic buttons attached to their badges, the hospital said.
Covid-19 live updates: A third of parents want to vaccinate 5-to-11-year-olds ‘right away’ when eligible, report finds|Paulina Firozi, Caroline Anders, Bryan Pietsch, Adela Suliman|September 30, 2021|Washington Post
When pressed, the panic buttons will immediately alert hospital security and trigger a tracking system to locate the endangered worker.
Health workers get panic buttons as COVID deniers get violent|Beth Mole|September 29, 2021|Ars Technica
In a hospital in Branson, Missouri, as many as 400 staff members will have panic buttons added to their identification badges after assaults on staff members tripled amid the pandemic.
Health workers get panic buttons as COVID deniers get violent|Beth Mole|September 29, 2021|Ars Technica

A hospital in Springfield, Missouri, added security dogs, as well as panic buttons.
Health workers get panic buttons as COVID deniers get violent|Beth Mole|September 29, 2021|Ars Technica
Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a hot-button cover story interview with Vanity Fair, Lawrence explained it best.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just two young kids experiencing the panic, pain, and then the miracle, of new birth.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.|Gene Robinson|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hence, I suspect, the panic, the lockdown, the capitulation.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack|James Poulos|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"I verily believe they're gone to look at my button," cried Davy, beginning to laugh, in spite of his fears.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
We stood staring after the fugitives in perfect bewilderment, totally unable to explain their apparently causeless panic.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Two artillery subalterns who had fought their way through a mob stricken with panic for the moment, soon arrived.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He was naturally frightfully upset about it, and a regular panic sprang up in the neighbourhood.
Uncanny Tales|Various
Button Gwinnett, one of the signers, died of a wound received in a duel.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for panic button

panic button

noun

a button or switch that operates any of various safety devices, for use in an emergency

hit the panic button or press the panic button informal to react to a situation by demanding emergency action; become excited; panic

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

panic button

Idioms about panic button

Origin of panic button

Words nearby panic button

Words related to panic button

How to use panic button in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for panic button