overreact

verb

over·​re·​act ˌō-vər-rē-ˈakt 

overreacted; overreacting

intransitive verb

: 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

The world isn't coming to an end. You shouldn't overreact to the negative news.

—Adam Bryant

Some of his animals had become apprehensive and twitchy, overreacting to sound or touch …

—Mark Caldwell

But the military police overreacted, using tear gas, rubber bullets and excessive force in front of news cameras that spread the images countrywide.

—Grant Wahl

… the poisonous surfeit of hormones produced by the overreacting immune system.

—Shannon Brownlee

Sometimes companies in a little bit of trouble are the best investments because the market has overreacted.

—Orson C. Clay

overreaction

ˌō-vər-rē-ˈak-shən 

noun

plural overreactions

… he had said almost angrily that he couldn't tell her anything without eliciting a huge overreaction.

—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

Examples of overreact in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The victim’s family accused law enforcement of overreacting, then failing to render aid to the victim, whose body wasn’t removed from the home until 10 hours later. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024

Educating teens and parents, enacting reasonable regulations on social media and having an honest national conversation about teen mental health are all better alternatives than a simple warning label that some people who overreact to and others will ignore. —Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 20 June 2024

Mann and his animators smartly dramatize the onset of puberty as a major office disruption, as the emotions are suddenly forced to operate a new and not exactly improved console that overreacts to their every touch, causing Riley to experience wild mood swings. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024

The Angst of 'Inside Out 2' One of Inside Out 2’s many twists is that while yes, Anxiety causes Riley to overthink, over-worry, and overreact—the nervous energy of Anxiety also propels Riley to get things done. —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 14 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Medical 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

overreaction

-ˈak-shən 

noun