react

verb

re·act | \ rē-ˈakt

reacted; reacting; reacts

Definition of react

intransitive verb

1 : to exert a reciprocal or counteracting force or influence —often used with on or upon

2 : to change in response to a stimulus

3 : to act in opposition to a force or influence —usually used with against

4 : to move or tend in a reverse direction

5 : to undergo chemical reaction

transitive verb

: to cause to react

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about react

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Examples of react in a Sentence

When I told her what happened, she reacted with anger. I didn't expect him to react that way. The firefighters reacted quickly when they heard the alarm. He reacted badly to the drug.

Recent Examples on the Web

The dollar fell to a three-week low Friday as investors reacted to the June employment report, which showed the economy added slightly more jobs than expected while wages increased modestly and the unemployment rate ticked higher. — Orla Mccaffrey, WSJ, "Dollar Falls After June Jobs Report," 6 July 2018 As Coutinho — 26 that day — reacted in mock indignation, Neymar buckled with laughter. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "All Eyes Are on Neymar, but It’s Coutinho Who Is Leading Brazil," 28 June 2018 While Microsoft has diversified its business thanks to the reach of software and its focus on the cloud, Intel has reacted more slowly. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Intel now faces a fight for its future," 22 June 2018 The three new releases have partly reacted, Reznor has said, against Donald Trump’s rise. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Nine Inch Nails Is Still Pushing the Sound of Catharsis," 22 June 2018 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the remarks at the Detroit Economic Club as global markets reacted to trade tensions between the U.S. and China. — Jeff Karoub And Zeke Miller, chicagotribune.com, "Upping ante, Trump threatens new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports," 19 June 2018 While press groups have criticized the seizure of Watkins’s records as a First Amendment violation, conservative outlets and Trump supporters have reacted much differently. — Gabriella Paiella, The Cut, "What to Know About Ali Watkins, James Wolfe, and the FBI," 13 June 2018 Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has reacted to that with several initiatives, including a partnership with Microsoft. — Mark Collette, Houston Chronicle, "Texas has mediocre 'innovation potential,' ranking of state economies finds," 5 June 2018 The Chinese government has reacted furiously to the recent US statements. — Ryan Browne, CNN, "US B52s fly by contested islands amid rising tensions with China," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'react.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.