panic

The word “panic” means a sudden overwhelming feeling of fear that makes it hard to think clearly. In plain terms, sudden intense fear that overrides clear thinking, or to be struck by it.

“Panic” is pronounced PA-nihk (/ˈpeə̯nɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “panic” used in a sentence: “Panic spread through the crowd when the fire alarm went off.”

Depending on how it is used, “panic” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “panic” comes from Greek. From Greek panikós, "of Pan" — the god Pan was believed to cause sudden, unexplained terror in crowds and animals in lonely places.

“Panic” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Panic” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a sudden overwhelming feeling of fear that makes it hard to think clearly.

Fear is a general response to a perceived threat and can range from mild to intense, while panic is a sudden, overwhelming surge of fear that makes clear thinking difficult. Panic is essentially fear at its most acute and uncontrolled.

Panic is a sudden, sharp burst of fear that peaks quickly, whereas anxiety is a more sustained feeling of worry or unease, often about something that has not yet happened. A panic attack comes on rapidly, while anxiety tends to linger.

When "panic" takes a verb ending, a "k" is added before "-ed" or "-ing" to keep the hard "c" sound, giving "panicked" and "panicking." Without the k, the "c" would be read as soft, as in the incorrect "panicing."

Frequent collocations include "panic attack," "panic button," "panic buying," and the reassurance "don't panic." As a verb it often appears as "panic over" something or "start to panic."