stampede

Noun

• a wild headlong rush of frightened animals (horses or cattle)

• a headlong rush of people on a common impulse
  • when he shouted `fire' there was a stampede to the exits
    

Verb

• run away in a stampede

• act, usually en masse, hurriedly or on an impulse
  • Companies will now stampede to release their latest software
    

• cause a group or mass of people to act on an impulse or hurriedly and impulsively
  • The tavern owners stampeded us into overeating
    

• cause to run in panic
  • Thunderbolts can stampede animals