overreact
verb
over·re·act
ˌō-vər-rē-ˈakt 
overreacted; overreacting
: to react to something too strongly : to respond to something with too strong an emotion or with unnecessary or excessive action
I was furious and yelled at him. He told me I was overreacting and to "chillax."—
Ben Stein
Ben SteinThe world isn't coming to an end. You shouldn't overreact to the negative news.—Adam Bryant
Adam BryantSome of his animals had become apprehensive and twitchy, overreacting to sound or touch …—Mark Caldwell
Mark CaldwellBut the military police overreacted, using tear gas, rubber bullets and excessive force in front of news cameras that spread the images countrywide.—Grant Wahl
Grant Wahl… the poisonous surfeit of hormones produced by the overreacting immune system.—Shannon Brownlee
Shannon BrownleeSometimes companies in a little bit of trouble are the best investments because the market has overreacted.—Orson C. Clay
Orson C. Clay
overreaction
noun
plural overreactions
… he had said almost angrily that he couldn't tell her anything without eliciting a huge overreaction.
—Ann Beattie
Ann Beattie
This response is an overreaction by your immune system to an otherwise harmless substance, such as pollen or pet dander.
—Medical Clinic Health Letter
Medical Clinic Health Letter
Examples of overreact in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead of overreacting, Counsell kept giving Palencia chances.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 8 July 2025
Like a group chat where everyone is talking at once and nobody can be heard clearly, neurons start to misfire and overreact.
—Siddhesh Sabnis, The Conversation, 23 June 2025
However, others thought that the OP was, in fact, overreacting, and that her husband was likely just stressed.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 22 June 2025
Fans and media tend to overreact to ballplayers ranting at each other, or batters getting hit by pitches.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreact
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 8 July 2025
Like a group chat where everyone is talking at once and nobody can be heard clearly, neurons start to misfire and overreact.
—Siddhesh Sabnis, The Conversation, 23 June 2025
However, others thought that the OP was, in fact, overreacting, and that her husband was likely just stressed.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 22 June 2025
Fans and media tend to overreact to ballplayers ranting at each other, or batters getting hit by pitches.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreact
Cite this Entry
“Overreact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overreact. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
overreact
intransitive verb
over·re·act
ˌō-və(r)-rē-ˈakt
: to react excessively or too strongly
the body's immune system overreacts to the endotoxin—Tina Adler
Tina AdlerLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share