as in scaring
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of panicking
Families in Manchester were panicking that armed and armored men would be dragging children out in front of their classmates.
—
Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
People will also be asking who has a building big enough for our subset group of archivists documenting, artists making things, community organizers gathering, professors panicking, singers singing, parents guarding in order to gather us together again.
—Angela Pelster, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
These seniors weren’t panicking, though—this was very clear.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Soundman Loch Townsend coolly exposed the film and handed the reel to the queen’s panicking press secretary, who took it with relief.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
That number stopped me cold; my brain started panicking and running around in circles in my skull.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026
Griselda tried to keep him from panicking.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
But their retail traders continued buying all the way down, drawing on their past successes in increasing exposure amid pullbacks rather than panicking.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh told them to stop panicking.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
People will also be asking who has a building big enough for our subset group of archivists documenting, artists making things, community organizers gathering, professors panicking, singers singing, parents guarding in order to gather us together again.
—Angela Pelster, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
These seniors weren’t panicking, though—this was very clear.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Soundman Loch Townsend coolly exposed the film and handed the reel to the queen’s panicking press secretary, who took it with relief.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
That number stopped me cold; my brain started panicking and running around in circles in my skull.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026
Griselda tried to keep him from panicking.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
But their retail traders continued buying all the way down, drawing on their past successes in increasing exposure amid pullbacks rather than panicking.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh told them to stop panicking.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicking
Verb
-
According to Bloomberg, analysts are already antsy about increasing prices scaring away customers, particularly as the cost of living continues to rise.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Most of that money would go to compensate ranchers for cattle eaten by wolves and for guard dogs, scaring devices or other means to keep them away from livestock.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Like the strung-up coyotes, the Ghoul typically looks normal from afar but terrifying up close.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
That’s terrifying on a whole different level.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicking. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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