Panic
/ˈpænɪk/
Definitions
2 meaningsA sudden and overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety, often leading to irrational behavior.
/ˈpænɪk/
Sudden, overwhelming fear or anxiety.
The news report caused a panic among investors.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're walking in the woods, and suddenly a loud noise scares you so much you don't know what to do! That feeling of extreme fear is panic. For example, I felt panic when I realized I lost my keys before an important appointment.
👶 For kids: When you feel super, super scared all of a sudden!
More Examples
She felt a sense of panic as the plane began to shake.
The sudden power outage led to panic in the city.
How It's Used
"A wave of panic swept through the crowd when the fire alarm went off."
"Panic attacks can cause physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat and dizziness."
To cause (someone) to feel panic; to alarm or frighten.
/ˈpænɪk/
To cause someone to feel panic.
The fire alarm panicked the children in the classroom.
💡 Simply: To make someone feel incredibly scared and anxious, causing them to act in a frantic way. Think of a scary movie that panics the audience. For example, the loud crash panicked the dog.
👶 For kids: To make someone feel super, super scared!
More Examples
The sudden drop in the stock market panicked investors.
The news of the impending storm panicked the residents of the coastal town.
How It's Used
"The announcement panicked the market."
"The situation panicked first responders."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
panic button
A button used in emergencies to signal for help, or figuratively, a solution to a problem.
"In a crisis, they hit the panic button to alert the authorities."
don't panic
Used to tell someone to remain calm, especially in a difficult situation.
"Don't panic, we'll find a solution."
From Greek *panikos* meaning "pertaining to Pan," referring to the sudden, groundless fear attributed to the god Pan. The term originally described a sudden fright; the verb appeared in English in the late 17th century.
The word's use expanded from describing sudden, unexplained fear to encompass various anxieties and frightening situations, particularly in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of the Greek god Pan, known for causing sudden fright in the forest.