panic button

noun

: something setting off a precipitous emergency response

There was no pushing of panic buttons at the White House, no rushing of troops.

—J. C. Harsch

Examples of panic button in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cove sent me a full array of add-ons, including indoor and outdoor cameras, a doorbell camera, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide (CO) detector, a panic button, a glass-break sensor, a water-leak sensor, a siren, and a remote fob. — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026

After a woeful June, one that had even the club’s most fervent supporters hovering their hands over panic buttons, the Braves have burst out of the All-Star break with vengeance on offense. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 20 July 2026

Hardly enough to push the panic button over. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 14 June 2026

The app includes information about incidents in progress, ways to report crimes and send information to investigators, and a panic button to dispatch officers from Baltimore Police and Matcom to your location. — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for panic button

• clutton
• glutton
• mutton
• unbutton