panic
noun
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.
panic
1 American
[pan-ik]
/ ˈpæn ɪk /
noun
-
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.
-
an instance, outbreak, or period of such fear.
-
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.
-
Slang. someone or something that is considered hilariously funny.
The comedian was an absolute panic.
adjective
-
of the nature of, caused by, or indicating panic.
A wave of panic buying shook the stock market.
-
(of fear, terror, etc.) suddenly destroying the self-control and impelling to some frantic action.
-
Panic, of or relating to the god Pan.
verb (used with object)
-
panics,
present (3rd person singular)
-
panicked,
past participle, past
-
panicking
present participle
-
to affect with panic; terrify and cause to flee or lose self-control.
-
Slang. to keep (an audience or the like) highly amused.
verb (used without object)
-
panics,
present (3rd person singular)
-
panicked,
past participle, past
-
panicking
present participle
panic
2
American
[pan-ik]
/ ˈpæn ɪk /
noun
-
Also called panic grass. any grass of the genus Panicum, many species of which bear edible grain.
-
the grain.
panic
1
British
/ ˈpænɪk /
noun
-
a sudden overwhelming feeling of terror or anxiety, esp one affecting a whole group of people
-
(modifier) of or resulting from such terror
panic measures
verb
Panic
2
British
/ ˈpænɪk /
adjective
panic
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See terror.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
panicsimple
-
panicssimple
-
have panickedperfect
-
has panickedperfect
-
am panickingprogressive
-
are panickingprogressive
-
is panickingprogressive
-
have been panickingperfect progressive
-
has been panickingperfect progressive
Past
-
panickedsimple
-
had panickedperfect
-
was panickingprogressive
-
were panickingprogressive
-
had been panickingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of panic1
First recorded in 1580–90; earlier panique, from French, from Greek Panikós “of Pan”; see Pan, -ic
Origin of panic2
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English panik, from Latin pānicum “Italian millet”
Explanation
To panic is to become filled with fear and anxiety. Someone in a panic is totally freaking out. Have you ever heard someone say "Don't panic"? That's easier said than done. People panic when they lose control over themselves because of fear, stress, or danger. A pilot who runs into turbulence and then flees from the cockpit has panicked. A surgeon who makes a mistake might panic for a second, before chilling out and helping the patient. It's hard to do a good job when you panic. Panicking is pretty much the opposite of relaxing.
Vocabulary lists containing panic
Emotions on Display
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You Name It: Eponyms
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Zika can spread from a birthing parent to their child in the womb and cause congenital disabilities, which notoriously led to panic after an outbreak erupted in Brazil in 2015.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
These Dodgers aren’t anywhere close to the panic zone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Another resident, Tena Risley, said she saw flames behind trees near her home and, in a panic, she grabbed her dog and a few things.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
"I had a panic attack and broke down. I hadn't been able to - I didn't have the ability to - process that," Alex says.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
I’m deeper than I’ve ever been before but feel no panic.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Welsh groups Super Furry Animals and Panic Shack as well as Mogwai and Loose Articles will appear on the front of Cwmbran Celtic AFC men's and women's first-team home and away shirts.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Panic pouches are the new way to soothe anxiety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Panic surged, and many fans found themselves packed together with no clear escape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
After the Gunners lost at Etihad Stadium in April, City supporters unveiled a banner that said "Panic on the streets of London" - but Arsenal fans have used all of that to fuel their celebrations.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
She took deep breaths to calm herself, as all the girls at Swanburne were taught to do in a class called Do Not Panic: A Swanburne Girl Always Keeps Her Wits About Her.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Until the railroad boom of the 18th century’s second half, the U.S. was actually lagging the U.K., owing to major panics in 1819 and 1837.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 3, 2026
She panics briefly, then gathers herself and finds her confidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Along the way he helped prevent various financial panics from becoming more serious—most notably, the stock market plunge of 22.6% on a single day in October 1987 that became known as Black Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Whenever somebody stares at Sasha-Jay Davies in a supermarket, she panics, thinking they recognise her face and are about to confront her.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
She had come to depend on the cooing sounds, the lip-smacking, the sudden shrieking panics.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
When my father, a journalist, read the comments, he panicked.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"The office swayed violently side-to-side. I was afraid it would collapse. Everyone panicked," Hara said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Reports in Chiapas indicated a series of after-shocks as panicked residents left their homes as a precaution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Many Americans are souring on the technology amid mass layoffs, data center sprawl, reports of chatbot-fueled attacks by unstable users and hacking tools that have panicked cybersecurity professionals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Mal looked briefly panicked; and then a great relief crossed her face.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
His friend Scarlett was the one who enthusiastically pushed Nasa’s hand up when Hurwitz, panicking, asked if anyone in the audience was an “amazing sight reader.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
“Naturally, investors are panicking that we’re about to see cheap domestic supply flood a market that’s been overheating for months,” Nic Puckrin, founder of Coin Bureau and a cross-asset analyst, said in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“There was a salt era, where people were panicking about sodium content,” Lev Sercarz said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
"The government reports make it sound absolutely terrifying, panicking everyone, right?" said another breakfast shop owner in Keelung surnamed Li, upset at the loss of business from the storm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Are we, though? Or are we just panicking around and trying to save what we like?”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
