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definitions

overreact

[ oh-ver-ree-akt ]
/ ˌoʊ vər riˈækt /

verb (used without object)

to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.

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RELATED WORDS

scare, clutch, alarm, stampede, unnerve, startle, terrify

Nearby words

  1. overquick,
  2. overrake,
  3. overran,
  4. overrate,
  5. overreach,
  6. overrefine,
  7. overrefinement,
  8. overreliance,
  9. overrepresent,
  10. overrich

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. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for over-react

overreact

/ (ˌəʊvərɪˈækt) /

verb

(intr) to react excessively to something
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

over-react

v.

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

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

overreact

[ ō′vər-rē-ăkt′ ]

v.

To react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.