panic-stricken
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of panic-stricken
First recorded in 1795–1805
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.
Investors waking up to volatile and panic-stricken markets on Monday may be surprised to discover that gold is now in negative territory for the year after a painful bout of profit-taking and deleveraging.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026
“Are you panic-stricken? Are your eyes wide? Do you look furtive?” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025
“I heard this panic-stricken shout that caught my attention and then the tree came down.”
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2024
Prosecutors argued that this left his poorly trained, panic-stricken crew effectively useless amid the fire, which possibly originated in a trash can some time after 2:35 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2024
My mother examined Miles, obviously remembering when he’d brought me home during my episode, and Miles glanced from my mom to me, giving me a panic-stricken look I’d never seen on his face before.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
