as in scares
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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Recent Examples of panics
But Griff panics during a snake attack scene and accidentally kills the stunt snake.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
While Emma’s at Jitter Bean, Tess panics at the sight of another Starlighter poster popping up.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
That kicked off one of the most bizarre animal panics in American history.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
So naturally, Oliver, who is already terrified of the mob, panics and brings the body upstairs with him in a laundry cart, which is never ideal.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Renardo Green locks up Brian Thomas, and first-time head coach Liam Coen panics as the game slips away from him.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Ellie panics, unable to help Mel.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
While Emma’s at Jitter Bean, Tess panics at the sight of another Starlighter poster popping up.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
That kicked off one of the most bizarre animal panics in American history.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
So naturally, Oliver, who is already terrified of the mob, panics and brings the body upstairs with him in a laundry cart, which is never ideal.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Renardo Green locks up Brian Thomas, and first-time head coach Liam Coen panics as the game slips away from him.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Ellie panics, unable to help Mel.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panics
Verb
-
There’s something about kidnapping that scares the fear out of you, Goldberg-Polin says.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
While the odor scares lots of people off, there are ways to minimize it.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?—
Fiction Non Fiction
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
What specifically frightens you?—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As the dolphin gets closer to the glass, the Chihuahua lets out a bark that startles the dolphin, who then starts mimicking the dog's mouth movements in a sort of chasing game across species.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The first time terrifies every founder.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The moped-like sound of the Shaheds whooshing above the rooftops still unsettles but no longer terrifies.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panics. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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