Panic Someone Into Doing vs. Panic Someone To Do
Oxford directly documents “panic somebody into doing something,” usually in the passive, for causing somebody to act too quickly because of fear. The cited entry supports into + -ing and marks the construction as usually passive; it does not establish “panic someone to do” as an equivalent pattern.
Use “panic someone into doing,” often passively, for the directly documented construction; do not infer “panic someone to do.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| cause someone to act too quickly because of fear | panic someone into + -ing | Use the directly documented “into” + -ing construction. |
| same construction in its common passive form | be panicked into + -ing | The passive is especially common. |
| use a to-infinitive as a supposed equivalent complement | panic someone to do | Do not infer this as the parallel construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you mean that fear caused someone to take an action?
If yes: Use “panic someone into doing,” often in the passive “be panicked into doing.”
If no: If that causative meaning is not intended, choose the construction required by the different sense of “panic.”
Caveat: The evidence supports “panic somebody into doing something,” especially passively. It does not establish “panic someone to do” as an interchangeable complement pattern.
Examples
Do not let them panic you into making a rushed decision.
The “into” + -ing pattern expresses fear causing the action.
She was panicked into signing before she had finished reading.
The documented construction is often used in the passive.
The warning panicked everyone in the room.
A direct object can occur without an action complement when the meaning is simply “cause panic.”
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited entry supports into + -ing and marks the construction as usually passive; it does not establish “panic someone to do” as an equivalent pattern.
Construction
Oxford directly documents “panic somebody into doing something,” usually in the passive, for causing somebody to act too quickly because of fear.
Decision
Use “panic someone into doing,” often passively, for the directly documented construction; do not infer “panic someone to do.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- panic into doing phrasal verb — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Oxford learner-dictionary evidence directly documenting the panic someone into doing construction