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.
panicked
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past participleof panic.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof panic.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
panicnouna 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.
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 panicked in 1994 and cheered in 2016.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
"I noticed at the start of this year, there were a lot of fake items on there. I think they panicked, rightly so...and they've reacted with AI."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“I once panicked and asked a man if he had a preferred type of badger.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
