overreact
verb (used without object)
to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.
overreacted
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past participleof overreact.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof overreact.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
overreactverb (used without object)to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.
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.
Investors have overreacted to energy-driven swings in inflation, in his view, and the slow-moving part of inflation has been coming down gradually, obscured by high-frequency moves in energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
He was speaking after an inquest into the shooting of five people in west Belfast in 1972 found that the Army "lost control" in a number of cases and "overreacted to a perceived threat".
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Michael Sansoterra, chief investment officer at Silvant Capital Management, thinks investors have overreacted.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2025
In the food court, two freshmen debated whether the university had overreacted with the new police patrols and K-9 unit.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2025
“I think I overreacted because it was about Kainene.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
