- pronunciation:
- pae
nihk
- parts of speech:
- noun, verb
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
Panic is a sudden, very strong fear. It often makes people do things that don't make sense. When one person feels panic, other people around that person often start to feel panic too.
In their panic about the fire, everyone tried to run down the stairs at the same time, and many people got hurt in all the pushing.- similar words:
- alarm, fear, terror
|
| related words: |
fright, horror |
|
|
| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
panics, panicking, panicked |
| definition: |
When someone panics, they feel a strong sense of fear that makes them want to run away immediately or makes them unable to do anything at all or decide what is best to do.
When I realized I was late for the bus, I panicked and almost left the house without my coat or my backpack.The police officers told the crowd not to panic and that everything was going to be OK. |
| derivation: |
panicky (adj.) |
Our word
panic comes from
Pan, the name of the Greek god of woods and shepherds. Pan was believed to be the cause of sudden, wild fear that could not otherwise be explained.