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
Take action and report the abuse. DON’T: Panic or overreact.
—Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2025
Elias Pettersson and Adam Fox — One of the sure things of any short tournament is that a few star players will string together bad games and everyone will freak out, including people who’d be smart enough never to overreact to a bad three-game stretch in the regular season.
—Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
The late Robert Zimmer, former president of the University of Chicago, imagined a scenario such as this, urging colleges to resist the temptation to overreact to vague and ideologically driven mandates.
—Scott White, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Despite the pressure, some education leaders are urging schools not to overreact.
—Essence, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overreact
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Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2025
Elias Pettersson and Adam Fox — One of the sure things of any short tournament is that a few star players will string together bad games and everyone will freak out, including people who’d be smart enough never to overreact to a bad three-game stretch in the regular season.
—Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
The late Robert Zimmer, former president of the University of Chicago, imagined a scenario such as this, urging colleges to resist the temptation to overreact to vague and ideologically driven mandates.
—Scott White, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Despite the pressure, some education leaders are urging schools not to overreact.
—Essence, 19 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 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?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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