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
Stock markets tend to overreact to news events, and this morning was no exception.
—Mike Patton, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Conflicts are won by street mobilization and civil disobedience, until conservative governments overreact and spark a backlash.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 June 2025
Brown and the Ravens won’t overreact to one practice.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 June 2025
From happily revealing their biggest fears (spoiler: snakes and late-night WebMD spirals) to naming their celebrity crushes with a flirty tone, Thames and Parker overreact to generic press tour questions.
—Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreact
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Mike Patton, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Conflicts are won by street mobilization and civil disobedience, until conservative governments overreact and spark a backlash.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 June 2025
Brown and the Ravens won’t overreact to one practice.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 June 2025
From happily revealing their biggest fears (spoiler: snakes and late-night WebMD spirals) to naming their celebrity crushes with a flirty tone, Thames and Parker overreact to generic press tour questions.
—Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 16 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 10 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?
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