as in frightened
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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as in panicky
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Recent Examples of panicked
Don Riddell, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs brought linebacker Nick Bolton up the middle frequently, right in Jackson’s face, prompting some panicked decisions.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
The depth at receiver and running back as well as the strength of the offensive line has kept him from making panicked plays.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Major American tech companies, law firms and research institutions sent panicked emails to their H-1B workers, warning them not to leave the country or to take the next flight back.
—Dian Zhang, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
In India, social media erupted with responses that ran the gamut from outraged to panicked and accusatory.
—Sankalp Phartiyal, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
But his symptoms eventually worsen, leading Tommy’s panicked wife to rush him to the hospital.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025
The nonchalant response stood in stark contrast to the panicked phone calls from neighbors who reported hearing gunshots on their ordinarily quiet street, the Internal Affairs investigative reports show.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
In one video posted on Facebook, a panicked woman could be seen running out of the park along with several other visitors, as screams were heard in the background.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2025
Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Where rookie pilots panicked in battle, Gabreski functioned like a robot, dispassionately following the instructions laid out in his military flight manuals.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
After Jeremy encouraged Benny to show him his skills, Benny panicked.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
As guests panicked and scrambled for safety, 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare was fatally shot and two other people were wounded when the shooter opened fire at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement early Sunday morning.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Nine months ago, Cal fans were panicked over the apparent lack of a quarterback following Fernando Mendoza’s departure.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
The other pick happened when Beck panicked against pressure and tossed up a prayer over the middle.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
These calls -- known as swatting -- panicked at least a dozen schools as police rush to campuses, chasing phantom threats with many of them being racially motivated and targeting historically Black colleges and universities.
—ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
Sumpter panicked when the woman was unresponsive and called the woman’s aunt, who came to the home, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
In one, the sausages spoofed Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls, chasing panicked employees through a narrow office corridor.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs brought linebacker Nick Bolton up the middle frequently, right in Jackson’s face, prompting some panicked decisions.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
The depth at receiver and running back as well as the strength of the offensive line has kept him from making panicked plays.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Major American tech companies, law firms and research institutions sent panicked emails to their H-1B workers, warning them not to leave the country or to take the next flight back.
—Dian Zhang, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
In India, social media erupted with responses that ran the gamut from outraged to panicked and accusatory.
—Sankalp Phartiyal, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
But his symptoms eventually worsen, leading Tommy’s panicked wife to rush him to the hospital.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025
The nonchalant response stood in stark contrast to the panicked phone calls from neighbors who reported hearing gunshots on their ordinarily quiet street, the Internal Affairs investigative reports show.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
In one video posted on Facebook, a panicked woman could be seen running out of the park along with several other visitors, as screams were heard in the background.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
At a Coldplay concert outside of Boston, the jumbotron landed on two concertgoers who panicked and jumped out of the shot.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Where rookie pilots panicked in battle, Gabreski functioned like a robot, dispassionately following the instructions laid out in his military flight manuals.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
After Jeremy encouraged Benny to show him his skills, Benny panicked.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
As guests panicked and scrambled for safety, 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare was fatally shot and two other people were wounded when the shooter opened fire at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement early Sunday morning.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Nine months ago, Cal fans were panicked over the apparent lack of a quarterback following Fernando Mendoza’s departure.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
The other pick happened when Beck panicked against pressure and tossed up a prayer over the middle.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
These calls -- known as swatting -- panicked at least a dozen schools as police rush to campuses, chasing phantom threats with many of them being racially motivated and targeting historically Black colleges and universities.
—ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
Sumpter panicked when the woman was unresponsive and called the woman’s aunt, who came to the home, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Verb
-
There are liberals in media, but the corporations are now either controlled by the right wing or frightened of it.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As top-tier sports continue to flee pay-TV like so many panicky horses hoofing their way out of a burning stable, the WNBA is nosing around for oats among the haybales as the sparks fly skyward.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
After Ava is revealed as the sixth juror, Rachel, Keanu and others give Morgan props for her social game and comp wins, though Ava notes Morgan can be panicky with her decision-making.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood; however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
-
There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood, however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But farmers are worried that time is quickly running out to reach a deal in time to sell any of this year’s crop to their biggest customer.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The worried mom immediately booked a flight from Virginia to Colorado, which was an agonizing trip.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sharabi, who is terrified of being held in a tunnel, is being moved to one.—
Eli Sharabi,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Aldo had spent his time in the States terrified that he would be deported back to Cuba and jailed.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Dart wasn’t the only Giants rookie to have a substantial impact in the upset victory.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Nudge your kids to make decisions for themselves, even when other people are upset.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
First baseman Michael Toglia covered his head, too, and was startled when the ball landed a few feet from him.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Democratic nominee for mayor also gave a speech at an African Methodist church, an effort to bridge the gap with apprehensive Black voters.—
Amie Parnes,
The Hill,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Legacy system complexities can be underestimated, users can feel apprehensive about new workflows or tools, and communication breakdowns can lead to insufficient stakeholder updates and collaboration.—
Devang Pandya,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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