panic

pan|ic1 [ `pænık ] noun **

1. ) singular or uncount a sudden strong feeling of fear or worry that makes you unable to think clearly or calmly:

sheer/blind panic: She felt a moment of sheer panic.

panic spreads: Panic spread quickly through the capital city.

in panic: People are fleeing the area in panic.

get in/into a panic: She gets in a panic whenever she has to take a test.

2. ) count or uncount a situation in which a lot of people are hurrying to do or get something because they are frightened or worried:

News of the incident caused a panic in the town.

a ) only before noun used about things that people do when they are frightened or worried:

panic buying/selling: The news prompted a rash of panic buying.

panic

pan|ic 2 [ `pænık ] (present participle pan|ick|ing; past tense and past participle pan|icked) verb *

intransitive to have a sudden strong feeling of fear or worry and be unable to think clearly or calmly:

We were told not to panic.

a. transitive to make someone feel great fear or worry so that they cannot think clearly:

be panicked by something: We're not panicked by yesterday's result.

panic someone into (doing) something: Shoppers are panicked into buying things they don't need.

don't panic SPOKEN

used for telling someone to keep calm in a difficult situation