anxiety attack
noun
plural anxiety attacks
: a sudden feeling or episode of anxiety
specifically
: an episode of mild to severe worry, distress, or fear that may last for hours or days, is typically preceded by a period of gradually increasing levels of fear and worry (such as that associated with a perceived stressor or threat), and that has symptoms (such as increased heart rate and shortness of breath) similar to but often less intense than those associated with a panic attack
… the odds of coming across someone in college having an anxiety attack are fairly high. —
Alisa Patience
Alisa Patience The mention of any political figure in the vicinity of my dining room table is enough to induce an anxiety attack. —Anna Little
Anna Little I remember getting ready to do the buffet scene on the lawn, and for some reason I got an anxiety attack. I could hardly move. I was terrified. —Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson Examples of anxiety attack in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Manning's now 1-year-old Great Dane is training to be a service dog, learning how to press against the boy when his anxiety attacks.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025
Michaels’ pick-me-up advice to Hader during his anxiety attack beind the scenes didn’t always work.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Jan. 2025
Kent Mullens, who has completed the challenge multiple times, described the experience to me as a kind of extended cortisol-raging anxiety attack.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
That first moment of panic varies for anxiety attack sufferers.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for anxiety attack 
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Wendy Grossman Kantor, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025
Michaels’ pick-me-up advice to Hader during his anxiety attack beind the scenes didn’t always work.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Jan. 2025
Kent Mullens, who has completed the challenge multiple times, described the experience to me as a kind of extended cortisol-raging anxiety attack.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
That first moment of panic varies for anxiety attack sufferers.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for anxiety attack
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Cite this Entry
“Anxiety attack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anxiety%20attack. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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