react

[ ree-akt ]

/ riˈækt /

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See synonyms for: react / re-acted / re-acting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to act in response to an agent or influence: How did the audience react to the speech?

to act reciprocally upon each other, as two things.

to act in a reverse direction or manner, especially so as to return to a prior condition.

to act in opposition, as against some force.

to respond to a stimulus in a particular manner: reacting to a shock by jumping; to react to the word “coward” with anger.

to undergo a chemical reaction.

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ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

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Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Origin of react

1635–45; re- + act, probably modeled on Medieval Latin reagere

Words nearby react

reach for the sky, reaching jib, reach-me-down, reach rod, reacquire, react, reactance, reactant, reaction, reactionary, reaction chamber

Other definitions for react (2 of 2)

re-act

[ ree-akt ]

/ riˈækt /

verb (used with object)

to act or perform again.

Origin of re-act

First recorded in 1650–60; re- + act

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use react in a sentence

D’Agostino said the utility brought in social scientists to try and get a better gauge on how people react to different kinds of warnings.
Environment Report: State Throws Cold Water on Pricing Scheme|MacKenzie Elmer|September 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Samples from the first five volunteers reacted to both tuberculosis and Candida.
‘Trained Immunity’ Offers Hope in Fight Against Coronavirus|Esther Landhuis|September 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine
It is to generally be disposed to act and react to the world as if that is so.
Believing in Monsters: David Livingstone Smith on the Subhuman - Facts So Romantic|Eric Schwitzgebel|September 11, 2020|Nautilus
In 2011, Jason Moser studied how the brain reacts when people make an error.
A secret of science: Mistakes boost understanding|Rachel Kehoe|September 10, 2020|Science News For Students

The police were clearly confused by my reaction, but I didn’t know how else to react.
The Accidental Attempted Murder|Eugene Robinson|September 2, 2020|Ozy
People watch night soaps because the genre allows them to believe in a world where people just react off their baser instincts.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I know, some of you will now react by saying that the Netanyahu government supports a Palestinian state.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Instead of reacting to Republican proposals, President Obama is forcing Republicans to react to him.
The Liberation of the Lame Duck: Obama Goes Full Bulworth|John Avlon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These insights and discoveries help PepsiCo anticipate, rather than react to, an ever-changing consumer landscape.
The Science of Ingredient Innovation||December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The country has the ability to react very quickly because of the experience of the physicians and the political will to do so.
The Dark Side of Cuba’s Ebola Economy|James Bloodworth|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Most's attitude toward me will influence them: it will dampen their enthusiasm, and thus react on the propaganda.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
As to walking, though the earth be stepped on by the feet, it does not react (or, experience) as a consequence.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3|Plotinos (Plotinus)
But as yet this feeling had not begun in any way to react upon the army.
Four Years in Rebel Capitals|T. C. DeLeon
Take, for instance, the matter of a caress or an embrace—how would you react to repeated rebuff?
The Mother and Her Child|William S. Sadler
This pressure soon began to react upon the centers of Latin culture.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park

British Dictionary definitions for react (1 of 2)

react

/ (rɪˈækt) /

verb

(intr ; foll by to, upon etc) (of a person or thing) to act in response to another person, a stimulus, etc, or (of two people or things) to act together in a certain way

(intr foll by against) to act in an opposing or contrary manner

(intr) physics to exert an equal force in the opposite direction to an acting force

chem to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction

Word Origin for react

C17: from Late Latin reagere, from re- + Latin agere to drive, do

British Dictionary definitions for react (2 of 2)

re-act

/ (riːˈækt) /

verb

(tr) to act or perform again

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

Medical definitions for react

react

[ rē-ăkt′ ]

To act in response to a stimulus.

To undergo a chemical reaction.

react

Origin of react

Words nearby react

Other definitions for react (2 of 2)

Origin of re-act

Words related to react

How to use react in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for react (1 of 2)

Word Origin for react

British Dictionary definitions for react (2 of 2)

Medical definitions for react