panic button

See synonyms for panic button on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an alarm button for use in an emergency, as to summon help.

Idioms about panic button

  1. push / hit / press the panic button, Informal. to give way to panic in a distressing situation.

Origin of panic button

1
Allegedly first used in reference to emergency bell systems on World War II bombers such as the B-17 and B-24

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use panic button in a sentence

  • "I certainly pushed the panic button on that young man," he said.

    The Lani People | J. F. Bone

British Dictionary definitions for panic button

panic button

noun
  1. a button or switch that operates any of various safety devices, for use in an emergency

  2. hit the panic button or press the panic button informal to react to a situation by demanding emergency action; become excited; panic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012