stampede

A sudden frenzied rush of panic-stricken animals.

A sudden headlong rush or flight of a crowd of people.

A mass impulsive action.

To cause (a herd of animals) to flee in panic.

To cause (a person or group) to act impulsively.

To trample in a stampede.

To flee or rush in a stampede.

To act on mass impulse.

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.

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.