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
Learning not to overreact to flare-ups improves one's ability to self-manage OAB.
—Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 23 Sep. 2024
That will be doubly so considering that the timing of the first cut coincides with the home stretch of a presidential race, when investors tend to overreact to political plot twists.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2024
Seasonal allergies are a result of your body's immune system overreacting to an environmental trigger (e.g., pollen).6
Inflammation from allergies could impact your hair growth cycle.
—William Truswell, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024
In that case, your body might overreact and pump out lots of (and sometimes too much) protective melanin.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overreact 
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Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 23 Sep. 2024
That will be doubly so considering that the timing of the first cut coincides with the home stretch of a presidential race, when investors tend to overreact to political plot twists.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2024
Seasonal allergies are a result of your body's immune system overreacting to an environmental trigger (e.g., pollen).6
Inflammation from allergies could impact your hair growth cycle.
—William Truswell, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024
In that case, your body might overreact and pump out lots of (and sometimes too much) protective melanin.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overreact
Dictionary Entries Near overreact
Cite this Entry
“Overreact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overreact. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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?
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