panicking

IPA/pˈanɪkɪŋ/
KK[pˈænɪkɪŋ]IPA/pˈænɪkɪŋ/

panicking — verb

1. used as the -ing form of 'panic' when someone becomes so frightened or worried t

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

used as the -ing form of 'panic' when someone becomes so frightened or worried that they stop thinking clearly or acting calmly.

Example

Nora is panicking because her passport is still at home.

be panicking because + clause

The hikers started panicking when fog covered the mountain path.

start panicking when + clause

Common collocations
  • start panicking
  • keep panicking
  • stop panicking
  • panic about delays
  • panic over money
Synonyms
  • freak out

    more informal and often louder or more dramatic

  • lose it

    very informal; suggests emotional control breaking down

  • worry

    weaker and slower; does not always involve losing control

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be panicking because + clause

start panicking when + clause

panic about/over + noun

Usage Note

Often used for a fear reaction that is happening right now or beginning suddenly. Common with 'because', 'when', 'about', and 'over'. Distinguish from the adjective sense: this verb names the action of losing calm, not a noun it modifies.

Common Mistakes

She was panicing before the exam.
She was panicking before the exam.
Keep the 'k' before the -ing ending.
He was panicking for the delay.
He was panicking about the delay.
Use 'about' or 'over' for the cause.

2. used as the -ing form of 'panic' when something is making people or animals sudd

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

used as the -ing form of 'panic' when something is making people or animals suddenly so afraid that they react without thinking.

Example

False messages are panicking shoppers at the night market.

be panicking + group of people

The barking dog kept panicking the sheep near the gate.

panic + animals

Common collocations
  • panic shoppers
  • panic investors
  • panic the public
  • panic people into buying
  • panic animals
Synonyms
  • frighten

    more general; may scare without causing rash action

  • alarm

    milder; creates worry rather than full panic

  • spook

    informal; often used for a sudden scare

Antonyms
  • reassure

    make someone feel calmer with words or facts

  • settle

    help a person or animal become calm again

Grammar Patterns

be panicking + people/animals

panic + object + into + -ing

Usage Note

Less common than sense 1. The subject is usually bad news, a loud event, or false information, and the object is the person or group being thrown into fear.

Common Mistakes

The rumor is panicking to the neighbors.
The rumor is panicking the neighbors.
Put the affected people directly after the verb.
The siren was panicking them for running outside.
The siren was panicking them into running outside.
Use 'into + -ing' for the result.

panicking — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These all describe trouble under pressure, but they are not equally strong. 'Worrying' is the mildest: you are uneasy, but you can still think and plan. 'Panicking' is sharper and more sudden, and it suggests that clear thinking is starting to collapse. 'Freaking out' is more informal and often sounds louder or more dramatic than 'panicking'. 'Freezing up' focuses on becoming unable to move or speak, while 'panicking' can also include rushed, confused action. 'Losing it' is very informal and broader: it can describe emotional control breaking down for anger or stress, not only fear. A student checking the test schedule again and again is worrying; a student who cannot remember a simple answer at the exam door is panicking.

panicking ↗worrying ↗freaking outfreezing uplosing it

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • start panicking
  • keep panicking
  • stop panicking
  • be panicking because
  • a panicking crowd

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

'Panicking' is the -ing form of 'panic'. 'Panic' entered English through French and Latin from Greek 'panikos', meaning 'of Pan'. In Greek stories, the god Pan could frighten travellers with sudden cries in lonely places, and that idea of a fast, spreading fear still survives in the modern word.