/ ˈpænɪk; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ U , C , usually sing. ]
1.
a sudden feeling of great fear that cannot be controlled and prevents you from thinking clearly :
a moment of panic
They were in a state of panic.
Office workers fled in panic as the fire took hold.
There's no point getting into a panic about the exams.
a panic attack (= a condition in which you suddenly feel very anxious, causing your heart to beat faster, etc.)
a panic decision (= one that is made when you are in a state of panic )
2.
a situation in which people are made to feel very anxious, causing them to act quickly and without thinking carefully :
News of the losses caused (a) panic among investors.
Careful planning at this stage will help to avoid a last-minute panic.
There's no panic (= we do not need to rush) , we've got plenty of time.
panic buying / selling (= the act of buying / selling things quickly and without thinking carefully because you are afraid that a particular situation will become worse)
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IDIOMS
- panic stations
■ verb
( -ck- ) to suddenly feel frightened so that you cannot think clearly and you say or do sth stupid, dangerous, etc.; to make sb do this :
[ v ]
I panicked when I saw smoke coming out of the engine.
[ vn ]
The gunfire panicked the horses.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- panic sb into doing sth
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from French panique , from modern Latin panicus , from Greek panikos , from the name of the god Pan in Greek mythology, noted for causing terror, to whom woodland noises were attributed.