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
Ocean carriers are reacting in kind, passing off the war-risk premiums to their customers.
—
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
Marylanders are reacting to the United States and Israel's military strike on Iran.
—Kaicey Baylor, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
With the main oil futures closed for the weekend, there’s limited insight into how traders are reacting to the latest attacks.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Wisconsin politicians are reacting to the news that the United States and Israel have launched military strikes and operations against Iran.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 28 Feb. 2026
The president didn’t take well to the speech, reacting angrily in a post on Truth Social that questioned De Niro’s sanity, intelligence and legal standing.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
So playing Jane was a lot of studying other characters and watching Sinatra giving a speech, how’s this person reacting and what did that facial twitch mean?
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
If the Matt Wells era of the Colorado Rapids is truly about dictating games instead of reacting to them, Sunday’s season opener at the Seattle Sounders will offer an immediate test.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Karski’s idea was that Frankfurter wasn’t reacting in the manner of Julian Feibelman, by questioning the facts.
—Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
Marylanders are reacting to the United States and Israel's military strike on Iran.
—Kaicey Baylor, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
With the main oil futures closed for the weekend, there’s limited insight into how traders are reacting to the latest attacks.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Wisconsin politicians are reacting to the news that the United States and Israel have launched military strikes and operations against Iran.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 28 Feb. 2026
The president didn’t take well to the speech, reacting angrily in a post on Truth Social that questioned De Niro’s sanity, intelligence and legal standing.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
So playing Jane was a lot of studying other characters and watching Sinatra giving a speech, how’s this person reacting and what did that facial twitch mean?
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
If the Matt Wells era of the Colorado Rapids is truly about dictating games instead of reacting to them, Sunday’s season opener at the Seattle Sounders will offer an immediate test.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Karski’s idea was that Frankfurter wasn’t reacting in the manner of Julian Feibelman, by questioning the facts.
—Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reacting
responding
Verb
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Putting it all together, Broadcom tackled the overhangs surrounding its stock head on, and the market is responding nicely in extending trading, with shares up about 5%.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
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Those costs mainly came from responding to protests and patrolling hotels.—
Frankie McLister,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reacting. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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