(~s, ~king, ~ked)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Panic is a very strong feeling of anxiety or fear, which makes you act without thinking carefully.
An earthquake hit the capital, causing ~ among the population...
I phoned the doctor in a ~, crying that I’d lost the baby.
N-VAR
2.
Panic or a ~ is a situation in which people are affected by a strong feeling of anxiety.
There was a moment of ~ in Britain as it became clear just how vulnerable the nation was...
I’m in a ~ about getting everything done in time...
The policy announcement caused ~ buying of petrol.
N-UNCOUNT: also a N
3.
If you ~ or if someone ~s you, you suddenly feel anxious or afraid, and act quickly and without thinking carefully.
Guests ~ked and screamed when the bomb exploded...
The unexpected and sudden memory briefly ~ked her...
She refused to be ~ked into a hasty marriage.
VERB: V, V n, be V-ed into n