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overreact

[oh-ver-ree-akt]
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verb (used without object)
  1. to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.
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Origin of overreact

First recorded in 1960–65; over- + react
Related formso·ver·re·ac·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

scare, overreact, clutch, alarm, stampede, unnerve, startle, terrify
British Dictionary definitions for over-react

overreact

verb
  1. (intr) to react excessively to something
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Derived Formsoverreaction, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for over-react

v.

also overreact, 1961, from over- + react (v.). First attested in Lewis Mumford. Related: Over-reacting; overreacting; over-reaction.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
over-react in Medicine

overreact

(ō′vər-rē-ăkt′)
v.
  1. To react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.