overreact

verb

over·re·act | \ˌō-vər-rē-ˈakt

overreacted; overreacting

Definition of overreact

: 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

Other Words from overreact

overreaction \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 This response is an overreaction by your immune system to an otherwise harmless substance, such as pollen or pet dander. — Medical Clinic Health Letter

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about overreact

Dictionary Entries near overreact

Statistics for overreact

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for overreact

The first known use of overreact was in 1919

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for overreact

overreact

verb

over·re·act | \ˌō-vər-rē-ˈakt\

overreacted; overreacting

Kids Definition of overreact

: to respond with an emotion that is too strong or an action that is extreme or unnecessary After being criticized, he overreacted and quit the team.