panicked
panicked — verb
1. past tense of panic — became so afraid or worried in a sudden moment that clear
past tense of panic — became so afraid or worried in a sudden moment that clear thinking and calm action fell apart.
Rodrigo panicked when the lights went out during his piano recital.
panicked + when-clause naming the trigger
Ayesha panicked at the sight of the spider crawling across her pillow.
panicked at the sight of [trigger]
The horses panicked as the thunder cracked over the wooden barn.
Christopher panicked and forgot the password he had just written down.
Don't get panicked by one bad grade — talk to your teacher first.
- freaked out
informal; same idea but more colloquial
- lost their nerve
emphasises losing courage rather than acting irrationally
- went to pieces
stronger; suggests complete emotional breakdown
- stayed calm
the direct opposite reaction
- kept their cool
informal; held their composure under pressure
文法句型
panicked + when/as-clause
panicked at the sight/sound/thought of
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person or animal reacting in real time; the trigger appears in a when-, as-, or at-clause. Distinguish from sense 2: here the subject is the one feeling panic, not causing it.
常見錯誤
2. past tense of panic — made another person or group so suddenly afraid that they
past tense of panic — made another person or group so suddenly afraid that they could not act calmly, often pushing them into a hasty decision.
The fake fire alarm panicked the shoppers in the basement food court.
X panicked + group-object
Rumours of a layoff panicked the engineers into resigning the same week.
X panicked Y into doing Z
A single sharp bark panicked the deer grazing near Darius's tent.
The CEO's resignation panicked investors, and the share price fell sharply.
- alarmed
milder; warns without necessarily causing irrational action
- spooked
informal; often used of animals or sudden small frights
- frightened
broader; doesn't imply loss of reasoning
文法句型
X panicked Y
X panicked Y into doing Z
用法筆記
Subject is the trigger (an event, sound, rumour, or person); object is the one made afraid. Frequently followed by 'into + gerund' to name the rash action that followed.
常見錯誤
panicked — adjective
1. looking, sounding, or feeling extremely afraid in a way that shows clear loss of
looking, sounding, or feeling extremely afraid in a way that shows clear loss of calm — visible in the voice, face, or movements.
Rin sent a panicked text to her mother twenty minutes before the wedding.
attributive: a panicked + noun (text)
There was a panicked look in Femi's eyes as the boat began to tilt.
attributive: a panicked look + in [person]'s eyes
Hannah sounded panicked on the phone when she called from the hospital.
The panicked crowd pushed toward the only open door of the stadium.
Padma's voice grew panicked as she searched her bag for the missing keys.
文法句型
a panicked + noun
look/sound/feel panicked
用法筆記
Works both before a noun (a panicked voice, a panicked crowd) and after linking verbs (sounded panicked, looked panicked, felt panicked). The visible-or-audible quality is what distinguishes this adjective from the verb past tense — here you are describing an appearance or state, not a finished action.