Dictionary definition · panic
noun
- an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
- sudden mass fear and anxiety over anticipated events"panic in the stock market"
verb
- be overcome by a sudden fear"The students panicked when told that final exams were less than a week away"
- cause sudden fear in or fill with sudden panic"The mere thought of an isolation cell panicked the prisoners"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).