push the panic button

Idioms

Also, press the panic button. Overreact to a situation, as in Don't worry; Jane is always pushing the panic button, but I'm sure the baby's fine. This term originated during World War II, when certain bombers had a bell-warning system so that the crew could bail out if the plane was severely hit. Occasionally a pilot would push the button in error, when there was only minor damage, causing the crew to bail out unnecessarily. By 1950 the expression had been transferred to other kinds of overreaction.

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.

“We’ve got 11 more games to go, so I just don’t want everyone to push the panic button and give up the ship,” Hamp said to reporters Wednesday while the team practiced.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022

Farmer: The Rams have one of the league’s best special teams weapons in Johnny Hekker, and I think it’s too early to push the panic button.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2021

When you push the panic button, it can simultaneously call emergency responders and alert up to six additional contacts with a text, an email and live tracking GPS information about your location.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2019

We played well in both of those games, and I think that was one of the reasons we didn’t push the panic button in the Super Bowl.

From Washington Times • Feb. 5, 2017

I am not trying to push the panic button here.

From Forbes • Oct. 15, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023