Synonyms

overreact

American

[oh-ver-ree-akt] / ˌoʊ vər riˈækt /

verb (used without object)

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

overreact British

/ ˌəʊvərɪˈækt /

verb

(intr) to react excessively to something

"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

Other Word Forms

overreaction noun

Etymology

Origin of overreact

First recorded in 1960–65; over- + react

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The January jobs report always comes with big caveats, and economists caution against overreacting to it.

From MarketWatch

The financial press often overreacts about the bullish or bearish momentum behind popular investment themes.

From MarketWatch

For Ms. Thompson, a historian at the University of Michigan, the Goetz case is not a nuanced tale of a scared passenger overreacting to a perceived threat.

From The Wall Street Journal

The problem is that investors and market outsiders often take him at his word, when he’s merely throwing out options, and thus overreact.

From Los Angeles Times

“The market overreacts habitually to anxiety as it relates to our sector,” Nuttall told analysts Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023