panic meaning and definition

PANIC noun

Definition of panic (noun)

1. an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
   • synonyms: affright, terror
2. sudden mass fear and anxiety over anticipated events
   • "panic in the stock market"; "a war scare"; "a bomb scare led them to evacuate the building"
   • synonyms: scare

PANIC verb

Definition of panic (verb)

1. be overcome by a sudden fear
   • "The students panicked when told that final exams were less than a week away"
2. cause sudden fear in or fill with sudden panic
   • "The mere thought of an isolation cell panicked the prisoners"