as in responding
to act or behave in response (as to a stimulus or influence)
it was my first touchdown, and I didn't know how to react to the cheers of the crowd
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Recent Examples of reacting
Carr was reacting to a USA Today op-ed from Jessica Rosenworcel, then a Democratic commissioner, who was calling for restrictions on e-cigarette advertisements.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026
Shares of Danaher aren’t reacting positively to the news, down about 1% on Monday.
—Jeff Marks,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Using high-speed sensors, the system scans the road surface up to 500 times per second and can adjust damping as often as 200 times per second, reacting within milliseconds.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara reacting to that video.
—ABC News, 11 Jan. 2026
Even the luxury giant Chanel is reacting to the situation and is said to have pulled inventory out of a total of eight Saks and Neiman’s stores to avoid having its goods tied up in the bankruptcy process.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 9 Jan. 2026
Some of Colorado's congressional representatives are reacting to the 3-year Affordable Care Act tax credit extension passed by the House on Thursday.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
In a world that’s constantly changing, Robbins suggested the ultimate advantage is learning how to shape the future instead of reacting to it.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Relationships and social skills are best fostered face-to-face by seeing and reacting to people’s expressions and body language.
—Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026
Shares of Danaher aren’t reacting positively to the news, down about 1% on Monday.
—Jeff Marks,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Using high-speed sensors, the system scans the road surface up to 500 times per second and can adjust damping as often as 200 times per second, reacting within milliseconds.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara reacting to that video.
—ABC News, 11 Jan. 2026
Even the luxury giant Chanel is reacting to the situation and is said to have pulled inventory out of a total of eight Saks and Neiman’s stores to avoid having its goods tied up in the bankruptcy process.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 9 Jan. 2026
Some of Colorado's congressional representatives are reacting to the 3-year Affordable Care Act tax credit extension passed by the House on Thursday.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
In a world that’s constantly changing, Robbins suggested the ultimate advantage is learning how to shape the future instead of reacting to it.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Relationships and social skills are best fostered face-to-face by seeing and reacting to people’s expressions and body language.
—Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reacting
responding
Verb
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During the height of the 2025 fire season, the Salinas Fire Department shared a photo of Harry with firefighters alongside Cruz and Taffy, therapy dogs who support crews responding to wildfires and other emergencies.—
Erin Hill,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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Since August, when the violations were initially announced, investigators assessed $5 million more for offenses, and additional fines were levied for not responding to inquiries in a timely manner.—
Michelle Baruchman,
AJC.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reacting. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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