reacted; reacting; reacts
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
: to cause to react
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 market might be reacting to the pause, but that doesn’t guarantee trade restrictions are going away.
—
Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The 53-year-old rapper reacted to the act of homage, giving 21 his stamp of approval.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Landon continued that Barrera’s firing became a crux of how Hollywood was reacting to the Israel-Palestine conflict at the time in November 2023.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025
In addition to directing a lab running experiments on how people reacted to computer applications with voices, Nass was consulting on voice interfaces for Microsoft, IBM, BMW, General Magic, Verizon and other corporations.
—Sarah A. Bell, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for react
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The 53-year-old rapper reacted to the act of homage, giving 21 his stamp of approval.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Landon continued that Barrera’s firing became a crux of how Hollywood was reacting to the Israel-Palestine conflict at the time in November 2023.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025
In addition to directing a lab running experiments on how people reacted to computer applications with voices, Nass was consulting on voice interfaces for Microsoft, IBM, BMW, General Magic, Verizon and other corporations.
—Sarah A. Bell, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for react
Cite this Entry
“React.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/react. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
react
verb
re·act
rē-ˈakt 
1
: to act or behave in response (as to stimulation or an influence)
the colonists reacted to the tax by boycotting tea
2
: to oppose a force or influence
—usually used with against
reacted against their unfair treatment
3
: to go through or cause to go through a chemical reaction
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share