panic

¹

[ pan-ik ]

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms: fear, alarm

2. an instance, outbreak, or period of such fear.
3. 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.
4. Slang. someone or something that is considered hilariously funny:

   The comedian was an absolute panic.

adjective

1. of the nature of, caused by, or indicating panic:

   A wave of panic buying shook the stock market.

2. (of fear, terror, etc.) suddenly destroying the self-control and impelling to some frantic action.
3. Panic, of or relating to the god Pan.

verb (used with object)

, pan·icked, pan·ick·ing.

1. to affect with panic; terrify and cause to flee or lose self-control.
2. Slang. to keep (an audience or the like) highly amused.

verb (used without object)

, pan·icked, pan·ick·ing.

1. to be stricken with panic; become frantic with fear:

   The herd panicked and stampeded.

panic

²

[ pan-ik ]

noun

1. Also called panic grass. any grass of the genus Panicum, many species of which bear edible grain.
2. the grain.

panic

¹

/ ˈpænɪk /

noun

1. a sudden overwhelming feeling of terror or anxiety, esp one affecting a whole group of people
2. modifier of or resulting from such terror

   panic measures

verb

1. to feel or cause to feel panic

Panic

²

/ ˈpænɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the god Pan

Derived Forms

• ˈpanicky, adjective

Other Words From

• panick·y adjective
• un·panick·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of panic¹

First recorded in 1580–90; earlier panique, from French, from Greek Panikós “of Pan”; Pan, -ic

Origin of panic²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English panik, from Latin pānicum “Italian millet”

Word History and Origins

Origin of panic¹

C17: from French panique, from New Latin pānicus, from Greek panikos emanating from Pan , considered as the source of irrational fear

Idioms and Phrases

see push the panic button .

Synonym Study

See terror.

Example Sentences

“By the time I looked up from that moment, all my Fox guys had their hands over their hearts, the national anthem’s playing. I somewhat panic and I’m like, ‘Do I be the fool that puts his hand over his heart after or do I just stand here with my hand in front of me respectfully?’

From Los Angeles Times

Vocational assessor Elva Breen said that after the incident, Ms Hand found great difficulty in working in a customer-facing role and was struggling with significant anxiety and panic attacks.

From BBC

Any public voice who suggests that everything is going to be fine and that panic or despair are unwarranted should not be taken seriously.

From Salon

Dame Sally said she had later attended a meeting where concerns about the statement and whether it would "panic the public" were raised.

From BBC

Carlos Perea, an immigrant rights advocate who supported the measure, said those groups “hit the panic button.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lose it
• overreact
• scare