as in scaring
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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Recent Examples of panicking
Some early polls predicted a possible dual Republican matchup, panicking Democrats worried about losing the governor’s mansion for the first time in two decades and reigniting an effort to reform the primary system.
—
Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Markets weren’t panicking yet, Kelly said at the time.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 May 2026
One of the best creative decisions Survivor ever made was not panicking and reshuffling the tribes once Koror started dominating.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Everybody else was the ones panicking.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 7 May 2026
For now, Lakers star LeBron James is not panicking.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Any passengers not knocked out during the chaos or sucked out into the sky are generally screaming and grabbing for oxygen masks while Captain Rich makes a futile announcement about the importance of not panicking.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Local television footage and videos on social media showed passengers at the station panicking.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Instead of panicking, get strategic.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Markets weren’t panicking yet, Kelly said at the time.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 May 2026
One of the best creative decisions Survivor ever made was not panicking and reshuffling the tribes once Koror started dominating.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Everybody else was the ones panicking.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 7 May 2026
For now, Lakers star LeBron James is not panicking.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Any passengers not knocked out during the chaos or sucked out into the sky are generally screaming and grabbing for oxygen masks while Captain Rich makes a futile announcement about the importance of not panicking.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Local television footage and videos on social media showed passengers at the station panicking.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Instead of panicking, get strategic.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicking
Verb
-
Predator decoys that are in constant motion may be most effective at scaring birds.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
-
However, the fact that both are scaring away new users thanks to soaring prices isn’t exactly a vote of confidence to investors, which could soon force AI executives to rethink their business models.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Terrorism is not just any political violence, but violence specifically directed at frightening the wider public into acquiescing into the terrorist’s political goals.—
Ben Bayer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is breathtaking and also terrifying with a 4-year-old along.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
Starring Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won, the film follows a road-view camera crew that encounters terrifying supernatural events at a remote reservoir.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicking. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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