panic

¹

[pan-ik]

noun

1. a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals.

   Synonyms: fear, alarm

2. an instance, outbreak, or period of such fear.

3. Finance.,  a sudden widespread fear concerning financial affairs leading to credit contraction and widespread sale of securities at depressed prices in an effort to acquire cash.

4. Slang.,  someone or something that is considered hilariously funny.

   The comedian was an absolute panic.

adjective

1. of the nature of, caused by, or indicating panic.

   A wave of panic buying shook the stock market.

2. (of fear, terror, etc.) suddenly destroying the self-control and impelling to some frantic action.

3. Panic, of or relating to the god Pan.

verb (used with object)

panicked, panicking 

1. to affect with panic; terrify and cause to flee or lose self-control.

2. Slang.,  to keep (an audience or the like) highly amused.

verb (used without object)

panicked, panicking 

1. to be stricken with panic; become frantic with fear.

   The herd panicked and stampeded.

panic

²

[pan-ik]

noun

1. Also called panic grass. any grass of the genus Panicum, many species of which bear edible grain.

2. the grain.

panic

¹

/ ˈpænɪk /

noun

1. a sudden overwhelming feeling of terror or anxiety, esp one affecting a whole group of people

2. (modifier) of or resulting from such terror

   panic measures

verb

1. to feel or cause to feel panic

Panic

²

/ ˈpænɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the god Pan

Other Word Forms

• panicky adjective
• unpanicky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of panic¹

First recorded in 1580–90; earlier panique, from French, from Greek Panikós “of Pan”; Pan, -ic

Origin of panic²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English panik, from Latin pānicum “Italian millet”

Word History and Origins

Origin of panic¹

C17: from French panique, from New Latin pānicus, from Greek panikos emanating from _Pan , considered as the source of irrational fear

Idioms and Phrases

see push the panic button.

Synonym Study

See terror.

Example Sentences

The mother of one 15-year-old girl said her daughter had become a "lot happier" since she started being home educated after she started suffering from panic attacks.

From BBC

In a clever touch, Sphere lets us continue to see the monstrous green face, now neutered and ridiculous, mouth along as the panicked geek apologizes for being a humbug.

From Los Angeles Times

From teaching herself to produce as a teenager, to death threats, panic attacks and international fame, Gibson, 54, mined decades of experience for this memoir.

From Los Angeles Times

These texts usually come with a link you are told to click on to pay the fine and "use urgent and threatening language to make you panic", Stapleton says.

From BBC

"I'm not sure whether the guy panicked because this thing just wasn't working like he planned or whether he planned it all along to be like this," he says.

From BBC

Related Words

• alarm 
• confusion 
• consternation 
• dismay 
• dread 
• fear 
• frenzy 
• horror 
• hysteria 
• rush 
• scare 
• stampede 
• terror 
• trepidation