as in scaring
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of panicking
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
While the situation may feel serious, Lipsher stressed that preparation is about staying ahead of the problem, not panicking.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
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
While the situation may feel serious, Lipsher stressed that preparation is about staying ahead of the problem, not panicking.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicking
Verb
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New luxury tax thresholds were introduced, imposing punitive roster-building restrictions on big spenders, scaring teams away from keeping their championship cores intact.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment My medium skin tone is prone to dark spots, but the Sunday Riley Good Genes elixir combats scaring.—
Ruby McAuliffe,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is breathtaking and also terrifying with a 4-year-old along.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Facing the endless Cylon onslaught in the void of space is terrifying even in 2D battles, but many of Scattered Hopes' gut punches happen during unexpected narrative events or tough choices that doom entire ship populations.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicking. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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