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:
The Anthropic CEO’s most recent warnings—in a lengthy essay a weekend ago—helped further inflame a national panic about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
So if golf courses aren’t causing a national water panic, I’m not sure why data centers should.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
"I think this is becoming a panic," he said this weekend in an interview with CBS News.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Micron stock has stabilized following an AI slowdown panic but it still has to deal with union demands in Taiwan.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Only this time, that uncertainty was lined with panic.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
They include Welsh groups Super Furry Animals and Panic Shack, as well as Loose Articles and Mogwai, with the latter appearing as a sponsor on the shirt worn by Chatten at Reading.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Panic has set in among some who reportedly find themselves screaming in committee meetings, “We’re screwed!”
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
"The Kimi Panic needs to stop," said David Sacks, the White House's former chief on AI policy, who still has the president's ear.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Panic pouches are the new way to soothe anxiety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Panic sinks all the way down to my toes, holding me in place.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
If a cat panics, Mathers said, anything could happen, including losing the pet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
WSJ: How should investors mentally process major market panics, like the crash during the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Among the many tedious features of market panics is the well-known cognitive error of catastrophizing.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 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
To Steve Eisman at FrontPoint Partners, the market seemed mainly stupid or delusional: A financial culture that had experienced so many tiny panics followed by robust booms saw any sell-off as merely another buying opportunity.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
His home isn’t oceanfront, so he’s not too panicked about the upcoming winter, but he will be prepared for likely flooding, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
I point this out because investors panicked earlier this week as the bottom appeared to drop out of the market — even if temporarily.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Lifesaving Association warns prospective lifeguards that “a panicked victim, desperate for buoyant support, is a very real threat to an approaching rescuer.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Agency nurse Kamangire said: "I was panicked and, in the panic, I made some bad decisions I was sorry for."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Not that I had much to compare it to, but I couldn’t hear any panicked breathing or choking on air.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Even the options market, which is inherently more aggressive and forward-looking than the equity market, isn’t panicking either.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
The raw emotion of a panicking mother was clear as she desperately pleaded for help to find her only son.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I guess I should have said, ‘bond traders can stop panicking when Scott Bessent starts panicking.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"People were panicking, running here and there. We're evacuating for the time being... and trying to get to the hills," he said, adding: "My family is safe. No one was harmed."
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
I put away the sword and started speaking as calmly as I could so the hippocampi and the cow serpent would stop panicking.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
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.
