panic button

noun

: something setting off a precipitous emergency response
there was no pushing of panic buttons at the White House, no rushing of troopsJ. C. Harsch

Examples of panic button in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
So far, the company has sold about 1,000 panic buttons to different counties. Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2024 At the beginning of the hijacking, calls flooded in to 911 dispatchers as the bus driver activated a panic button that alerted police and triggered emergency messages on the exterior of the bus. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024 Zoom in: Election officials in Durham County, N.C., soon will move into a new facility equipped with bulletproof glass at the front desk, panic buttons to summon help in any emergencies, a network of security cameras and a separate exhaust system where mail-in ballots will be processed. Sophia Cai, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024 The app includes a panic button for staff, and the district additionally has physical panic buttons in front offices at each school. Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for panic button 

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of panic button was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near panic button

Cite this Entry

“Panic button.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panic%20button. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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