to react with more energy or force than seems called for, as from strong emotion
verb
Overreact is defined as to react in an overly emotional or forceful way.
An example of overreact is someone crying hysterically after accidentally killing an ant.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"overreact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact>.
APA Style
overreact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact
overreact
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"overreact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact>.
APA Style
overreact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact
overreact
intransitive verb
o·ver·re·act·ed, o·ver·re·act·ing, o·ver·re·actsTo react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence.
Related Forms:
- o′ver·re·ac′tion
noun
- o′ver·re·ac′tive
adjective
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"overreact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact>.
APA Style
overreact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact
Verb
(third-person singular simple present overreacts, present participle overreacting, simple past and past participle overreacted)
Origin
over- +"Ž react
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"overreact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact>.
APA Style
overreact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/overreact
Sentence Examples
- Many pediatricians suggest parents should remain firm, not overreact, and then move on.
- In other circumstances, the immune system may overreact (allergic reactions) or become damaged (autoimmune diseases), causing the uncontrolled release of pyrogens.
- One of the biggest problems with speeches is that some men, when given the spotlight, overreact and may include things in their speeches that are inappropriate.
- In anxious individuals, the amygdala seems to overreact and set off these responses even when the individual is not really in danger.
- Rather than panic and overreact when you're surprised by events, you can deal with it objectively and analytically.
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WORDS NEAR overreact IN THE DICTIONARY
- overreact
- overreacted
- overreacting
- overreaction