as in frightened
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in panicky
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of panicked
Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Footage showed panicked students fleeing for cover under the Western sunshine.
—Melissa Galbraith, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Thelma When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) receives a panicked phone call from someone posing as her grandson, she's duped into mailing $10,000 to bail him out of trouble.
—Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Suddenly panicked, Maria turns the car around and heads back to her boxy, modernist house with Danny and locks him in her basement.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Active shooter alerts at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sent panicked students preparing for the new school year scrambling for cover as first responders swarmed campuses on August 21.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Her character, the increasingly panicked Nostromo navigator Joan Lambert, can’t claim the same renown that Weaver’s heroic Ellen Ripley inspired, but Lambert maintains an unimpeachable place in the genre canon nonetheless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
At this point appearing to be genuinely panicked about OpenAI's insurmountable lead in the chatbot market, Musk has specifically alleged that an agreement integrating ChatGPT into the iOS violated antitrust and unfair competition laws.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
The Hidden Risk Behind the $1 Million Illusion All-equity portfolios faced massive drawdowns during crises like 2008 and 2020, often forcing panicked withdrawals at the bottom.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Bryan Kohberger saw a news article about a white Hyundai Elantra having been identified as a suspect vehicle in the Idaho student murders and immediately panicked, according to the forensic team that analyzed his phone.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2025
In this increasingly surreal situation, United panicked.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Suddenly a colonel, joyriding that day, panicked and reached for the controls.
—David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2025
Is there anyone who flies regularly who hasn’t momentarily panicked over misplacing their ticket or driver’s license?
—Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
A couple moving from the United States to Spain with their cat panicked when her favorite blanket was too big for their luggage, but their quick-thinking solution melted people's hearts.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Investors who panicked and sold missed out on one of the fastest market recoveries in history, as the S&P 500 rebounded to new all-time highs within months.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The second came in April 2022, when Wall Street panicked over analysts’ predicting slow subscriber growth as Disney, HBO and NBCUniversal invested heavily in streaming.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
It’s struck fear in the hearts of panicked citizens.
—Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Footage showed panicked students fleeing for cover under the Western sunshine.
—Melissa Galbraith, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Thelma When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) receives a panicked phone call from someone posing as her grandson, she's duped into mailing $10,000 to bail him out of trouble.
—Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Suddenly panicked, Maria turns the car around and heads back to her boxy, modernist house with Danny and locks him in her basement.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Active shooter alerts at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sent panicked students preparing for the new school year scrambling for cover as first responders swarmed campuses on August 21.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Her character, the increasingly panicked Nostromo navigator Joan Lambert, can’t claim the same renown that Weaver’s heroic Ellen Ripley inspired, but Lambert maintains an unimpeachable place in the genre canon nonetheless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
At this point appearing to be genuinely panicked about OpenAI's insurmountable lead in the chatbot market, Musk has specifically alleged that an agreement integrating ChatGPT into the iOS violated antitrust and unfair competition laws.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
The Hidden Risk Behind the $1 Million Illusion All-equity portfolios faced massive drawdowns during crises like 2008 and 2020, often forcing panicked withdrawals at the bottom.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
When that Allie stumbled and nearly fell during the film’s first 20 minutes, this Ali panicked thinking her new friend might get kicked out.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Bryan Kohberger saw a news article about a white Hyundai Elantra having been identified as a suspect vehicle in the Idaho student murders and immediately panicked, according to the forensic team that analyzed his phone.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2025
In this increasingly surreal situation, United panicked.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Suddenly a colonel, joyriding that day, panicked and reached for the controls.
—David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2025
Is there anyone who flies regularly who hasn’t momentarily panicked over misplacing their ticket or driver’s license?
—Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
A couple moving from the United States to Spain with their cat panicked when her favorite blanket was too big for their luggage, but their quick-thinking solution melted people's hearts.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Investors who panicked and sold missed out on one of the fastest market recoveries in history, as the S&P 500 rebounded to new all-time highs within months.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The second came in April 2022, when Wall Street panicked over analysts’ predicting slow subscriber growth as Disney, HBO and NBCUniversal invested heavily in streaming.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Verb
-
Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
-
In the first Nobody, Odenkirk’s Hutch has to reignite the sleeping assassin within himself after his family was frightened by a botched home invasion.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Parents, scared by the specter of brain damage, are reluctant to let their kids play tackle football.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His home’s security system was triggered and reportedly scared off the burglar, and nothing was stolen from the property.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
People should be joyful, not worried.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
-
He’s not focused on the economy, which most Americans are worried about.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
We might be terrified of it and not want to recognize our own mortality.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The school attack, which terrified students and parents, capped a violent spree that left at least three people dead and more than a dozen others wounded across the city.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Danni-Elle Townsend, who’s made a solid impression in PPA internationals this year, was upset in the first round by 43-yr old qualifier and eventual Bronze medalist from Japan Rika Fujiwara, a former WTA tennis pro who toured for more than 20 years before retiring from Tennis in 2020.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Mourners, many of whom were visibly upset and wearing Walmart uniforms, placed electric candles at the memorial.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Seagulls lift off the beach, startled by the sudden salty cacophony.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
While some dogs are more confident, others may become easily startled by noises, objects, or movements that appear harmless to humans.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In the episode for which Howard is nominated, Matt is apprehensive to give feedback to the director that a scene from his new movie needs to be cut.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Auggie appeared apprehensive at first and didn't quite know what to do with the bed.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
When people aren’t afraid to flag phishing emails, report missteps or question suspicious behavior, organizations become more adaptive and resilient.—
Aliasgar Dohadwala,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
According to new research from SoFi, 44% of students and parents feel uninformed about student loans but are probably too afraid to ask questions.—
Brian Walsh,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share