; panicking
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Panic comes to us from French panique, which in turn derives from Greek panikos, meaning literally "of Pan." Pan is the pipe-playing, nymph-chasing Greek god of fertility, pastures, flocks, and shepherds. (His name is a Doric contraction of paon, meaning "pasturer.") He also has a rather dark side - his shout is said to have instilled fear in the giants fighting the gods, and the Greeks believed him responsible for causing the Persians to flee in terror at the battle of Marathon. Panic entered our language first as an adjective suggesting the mental or emotional state that Pan was said to induce. The adjective first appeared in print at the beginning of the 17th century, and the noun followed about a century later.
Synonyms
Examples of panic in a Sentence
Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2023
When ChatGPT launched for free five months ago, the primary response among educators — including in the Bay Area — was panic.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Apr. 2023
Some people think the real poison is panic.
—Dan Zak, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2023
Still, the first length was panic.
—BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
These are hardly panic-worthy numbers.
—Neil Irwin, New York Times, 8 July 2021
Nonetheless, there appeared to be little panic, even as the skies started to turn gray.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2022
Cox Medical Center Branson in Missouri acknowledged in September that violence against its workers had tripled over the past year, prompting the facility to give employees panic buttons.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2022
When it was reported a few hours before Friday's game that Xavier would likely be without several key players, the reaction on social media was largely panic.
—Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 28 Nov. 2021
NBC News, 16 Sep. 2023
What is now evident is that it was always conceived as a witch hunt, one that is blatantly reviving anti-Communist rhetoric—a Marxist, in the library!—redolent of the anti-gay panic that was entwined within the twentieth century’s infamous Red Scare in the United States.
—Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023
Its depiction of gore and violence led to a nationwide moral panic that ended in 1993 with the U.S. Senate threatening government regulation of video games, and that in turn created a national standard for age and content ratings for video games.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
Investors have endured their share of financial panics over recent years, including a trio of regional-bank collapses in 2023.
—WSJ, 15 Sep. 2023
During the drive, Allen-Bookman called a friend in a panic and told her they were being chased by the ex-girlfriend of the male driver, according to Acker.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
In the latter half of 1977, the community was gripped by panic.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
There were no fatalistic warnings, no instructions about the need for panic or extreme action.
—Katie Weeman, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2023
There’s ‘no cause for panic,’ CEO of Burning Man says as crowd remains stuck in muddy venue
The CEO of Burning Man said that the situation at the venue in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert was under control and far from alarming.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 4 Sep. 2023
Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
Boarding as a business opportunity That panic over faster boarding and the guarantee of an overhead compartment isn’t a bug for the airlines.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
In The Sky announced a new tour this spring, fans panicked.
—Patrick Lyons, Spin, 15 Sep. 2023
Knotts panicked, yelling that police and the government were trying to kill him.
—Kelli Smith, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
But at the end of the day, Washington should not panic.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2023
Many who panicked and attempted to escape mid-maelstrom were stranded far from their camps, either forced to abandon their vehicles and walk back, or be adopted by nearby camps until they could be extracted.
—Morena Duwe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023
The best way to survive a rip current is to not panic or attempt to swim directly toward shore but rather swim parallel to shore or tread water until one is naturally pulled out of the rip current, according to the Red Cross.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023
Being close to someone might not be worth the feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, or even panic.
—Jacqueline Tempera, Women's Health, 3 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'panic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective and Noun
French panique, from Greek panikos, literally, of Pan, from Pan
Adjective
circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Verb
1780, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing panic
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Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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Dictionary Entries Near panic
Cite this Entry
“Panic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panic. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
panic
1 of 2 noun
panic
2 of 2 verbNoun
Greek panikon "fear caused by Pan, panic," from panikos "relating to the fear caused by Pan," literally, "of Pan," from Pan, name of a god of woods and shepherds
Medical Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on panic
Nglish: Translation of panic for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of panic for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about panic
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