overreact
verb (used without object)
to react or respond more strongly than is necessary or appropriate.
overreacting
-
present participleof overreact.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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 cost of missing a real threat was death, while the cost of overreacting was a few minutes of wasted vigilance.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
"If there's a worse stretch of road in the UK, I'd like to see it, and if anyone thinks I'm overreacting I'd be happy to show them."
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
This time it hit after he booted his own center Steven Jamerson II from a game at Michigan State on Feb. 17, overreacting because he mistook a clean basketball play for something else.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
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 ● Feb. 6, 2026
I felt she might be overreacting, so I mentally dismissed her comments.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
