stampede

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A sudden frenzied rush of panic-stricken animals.
2. n. A sudden headlong rush or flight of a crowd of people.
3. n. A mass impulsive action: a stampede of support for the candidate.
4. v. To cause (a herd of animals) to flee in panic.
5. v. To cause (a crowd of people) to act on mass impulse.
6. v. To flee in a headlong rush.
7. v. To act on mass impulse.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A sudden fright seizing upon large bodies of cattle or horses, and causing them to run for long distances; a sudden scattering of a herd of cattle or horses; hence, any sudden flight or general movement, as of an army, in consequence of a panic.
2. n. Any sudden unconcerted movement of a number of persons actuated by a common impulse: as, a stampede in a political convention for a candidate who seems likely to win. Stampedes in American polities have been common since the Democratic convention of 1844.
3. To become generally panic-stricken; take suddenly to flight, as if under the influence of a panic; scamper off in fright: said of herds or droves.
4. To move together, or take the same line of conduct, under the influence of any sudden and common impulse. See stampede, n., 2.
5. To cause to break and run as if panic-stricken; disperse or drive off suddenly through panic or terror.
6. To cause to move or act in a mass through some sudden common impulse: as, to stampede a political convention for a candidate.

Wiktionary

1. n. A wild, headlong scamper, or running away, of a number of animals; usually caused by fright; hence, any sudden flight or dispersion, as of a crowd or an army in consequence of a panic.
2. n. A situation in which many people in a crowd are trying to go in the same direction at the same time.
3. v. intransitive To run away in a panic; said of cattle, horses, etc., also of armies.
4. v. transitive To disperse by causing sudden fright, as a herd or drove of animals.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A wild, headlong scamper, or running away, of a number of animals; usually caused by fright; hence, any sudden flight or dispersion, as of a crowd or an army in consequence of a panic.
2. n. Any sudden unconcerted moving or acting together of a number of persons, as from some common impulse; ; a stampede toward U. S. bonds in the credit markets.
3. v. To run away in a panic; -- said of droves of cattle, horses, etc., also of armies.
4. v. To disperse by causing sudden fright, as a herd or drove of animals.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. cause to run in panic
2. v. act, usually en masse, hurriedly or on an impulse
3. v. cause a group or mass of people to act on an impulse or hurriedly and impulsively
4. n. a wild headlong rush of frightened animals (horses or cattle)
5. n. a headlong rush of people on a common impulse
6. v. run away in a stampede