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
Chaos in the street (not really) Whenever the snow hits places that don't usually experience large accumulations, some people overreact while others make fun of them for doing so.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
Align your monitoring habits with your investment strategy to make informed adjustments without overreacting to short-term fluctuations.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
But Dillingham, 34, isn’t overreacting or losing sleep over it.
—Doug Haller, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
Rueter Carli Lloyd vaguely compares Lionel Messi and Christian Pulisic, the internet melts down
Even now, the things that people overreact to on the internet have the power to surprise you.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overreact 
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Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
Align your monitoring habits with your investment strategy to make informed adjustments without overreacting to short-term fluctuations.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
But Dillingham, 34, isn’t overreacting or losing sleep over it.
—Doug Haller, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
Rueter Carli Lloyd vaguely compares Lionel Messi and Christian Pulisic, the internet melts down
Even now, the things that people overreact to on the internet have the power to surprise you.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 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 18 Jan. 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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