overreact

[oh-ver-ree-akt]

verb (used without object)

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

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

Examples from the Web for overreaction

Contemporary Examples of overreaction

The danger of a potential Republican overreach or overreaction was clearly on the minds of people in both parties Wednesday.
The Coming GOP Freakout Over Immigration
Patricia Murphy
November 20, 2014
Overreaction is still a concern that worries public-health experts.
Are Mandatory Ebola Quarantines Legal?
Tim Mak
October 28, 2014
Indeed, public condemnation and overreaction by state authorities may serve only to make the Ebola outbreak worse.
Quarantine Turns Ebola Heroes Into Pariahs
Russell Saunders
October 28, 2014
To me, being a Jew carries a low-grade paranoia that is both an overreaction and entirely justified, based on history.
Gaza, You're No Good For My Marriage
Josh Robin
August 9, 2014
What seems more likely is that this was a gross overreaction from the start.
Elijah Cummings Fights Back
Michael Tomasky
June 14, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for overreaction

overreact

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

overreaction in Medicine

overreact

[ō′vər-rē-ăkt′]

To react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence.