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.
were panicking
-
past progressiveof panic.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
“There was a salt era, where people were panicking about sodium content,” Lev Sercarz said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
They took over CPR but said they were "panicking" as, after around five minutes, there was no change and a growing crowd of family members and wedding guests gathered around them watching.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Ms. al-Kurd said that people in Rafah were panicking and considered evacuating during the night, but “no one knew where to even go.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
On gridlocked Front Street, people were panicking, crying, screaming, honking.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2023
Fox wouldn’t stop touching her amulet, and Talis wouldn’t stop making bad jokes, which was what they always did when they were panicking but didn’t want Seven to know.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
