Definition of overreact
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
- The world isn't coming to an end. You shouldn't overreact to the negative news.
- —Adam Bryant
- Some of his animals had become apprehensive and twitchy, overreacting to sound or touch …
- —Mark Caldwell
- But the military police overreacted, using tear gas, rubber bullets and excessive force in front of news cameras that spread the images countrywide.
- —Grant Wahl
- … the poisonous surfeit of hormones produced by the overreacting immune system.
- —Shannon Brownlee
- Sometimes companies in a little bit of trouble are the best investments because the market has overreacted.
- —Orson C. Clay
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overreaction
play \ˌō-vər-rē-ˈak-shən\ noun, plural overreactions-
- … he had said almost angrily that he couldn't tell her anything without eliciting a huge overreaction.
- —Ann Beattie
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- This response is an overreaction by your immune system to an otherwise harmless substance, such as pollen or pet dander.
- —Medical Clinic Health Letter
