; panicking
Did you know?
Panic comes to us from French panique, which in turn derives from Greek panikos, meaning literally "of Pan." Pan is the pipe-playing, nymph-chasing Greek god of fertility, pastures, flocks, and shepherds. (His name is a Doric contraction of paon, meaning "pasturer.") He also has a rather dark side - his shout is said to have instilled fear in the giants fighting the gods, and the Greeks believed him responsible for causing the Persians to flee in terror at the battle of Marathon. Panic entered our language first as an adjective suggesting the mental or emotional state that Pan was said to induce. The adjective first appeared in print at the beginning of the 17th century, and the noun followed about a century later.
Synonyms
Examples of panic in a Sentence
Ben Morse, CNN, 6 July 2024
The ruling and its aftermath left thousands of people who are currently undergoing IVF treatment in a devastating limbo, adding even more stress, panic, and heartbreak to what is already a grueling endeavor.
—As Told To Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 24 Feb. 2024
Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
But celebration turned to panic in Chiefs Kingdom as Mahomes went down awkwardly on the play with an apparent non-contact injury.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Steve Silverman, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Advertisement Already, women’s high turnout in early voting has panicked some conservatives.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for panic 
Dictionary Entries Near panic
Cite this Entry
“Panic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panic. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
panic
1 of 2 noun
panic
2 of 2 verbNoun
Greek panikon "fear caused by Pan, panic," from panikos "relating to the fear caused by Pan," literally, "of Pan," from Pan, name of a god of woods and shepherds
Share