panic attack

noun

plural panic attacks

: a sudden feeling or episode of panic

specifically : a brief episode of intense fear or dread that is of sudden onset and typically subsides within 30 minutes, usually occurs for no apparent reason but may sometimes be associated with an identifiable triggering stimulus (such as an existing phobia), and is accompanied by a sense of unreality and impending loss of control and by various debilitating physical symptoms (such as increased heart rate, chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath)

Those undergoing a panic attack often believe they are suffering a heart attack or some other illness.

—Lillian Lee Kim

Agoraphobia is a fear only of fear itself, that is, of any situation where help would be unavailable and escape difficult in case of a panic attack.

—The Harvard Mental Health Letter

compare anxiety attack

Examples of panic attack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While juvenile anxiety in all its forms, from mild worry to debilitating panic attacks, has historically not always been something that was openly discussed or publicly accepted in everyday life, its presence in art has followed a different trajectory. —Gloria L. Huang, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025

The animation studio earned praise for 2023’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which tackled the complex subject of anxiety, with a scene involving the titular feline experiencing a realistic panic attack. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025

The challenges were exponentially more complicated than the algebra tests that gave me panic attacks as a kid. —David Ko, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

After a massive bitcoin facility started operating in the town of Granbury, people of all ages began to experience a range of unexplainable medical issues, including hypertension, chest pain, heart palpitations, migraines, vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and panic attacks. —Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

panic attack

noun

: an episode of intense fear or apprehension that is of sudden onset and may occur for no apparent reason or as a reaction to an identifiable triggering stimulus (as a stressful event)

specifically : one that is accompanied by usually four or more bodily or cognitive symptoms (as heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, or feelings of unreality) and that typically peaks within 10 minutes of onset