reaction

[ree-ak-shuhn]

noun

1. a reverse movement or tendency; an action in a reverse direction or manner.

2. movement in the direction of political conservatism or extreme rightism.

3. action in response to some influence, event, etc..

   the nation's reaction to the president's speech.

4. Physiology.,  action in response to a stimulus, as of the system or of a nerve, muscle, etc.

5. Medicine/Medical.

   1. the action caused by the resistance to another action.

   2. a return to the opposite physical condition, as after shock, exhaustion, or chill.

6. Bacteriology, Immunology.,  the specific cellular response to foreign matter, as in testing for allergies.

7. Also called chemical reaction. Chemistry.,  the reciprocal action of chemical agents upon each other; chemical change.

8. Also called nuclear reaction. Physics.,  a process in which a nucleus that is bombarded by a photon, particle, or other nucleus, emits a nucleon, alpha particle, or the like, without a significant change in its atomic weight.

9. Mechanics.,  the instantaneous response of a system to an applied force, manifested as the exertion of a force equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the applied force.

10. Commerce.,  a decline in the market after an advance in prices.

reaction

/ rɪˈækʃən /

noun

1. a response to some foregoing action or stimulus

2. the reciprocal action of two things acting together

3. opposition to change, esp political change, or a desire to return to a former condition or system

4. a response indicating a person's feelings or emotional attitude

5. med

   1. any effect produced by the action of a drug, esp an adverse effect Compare side effect

   2. any effect produced by a substance (allergen) to which a person is allergic

6. short for chemical reaction nuclear reaction

7. stock exchange a sharp fall in price interrupting a general rise

reaction

1. A rearrangement of the atoms or molecules of two or more substances that come into contact with each other, resulting in the formation of one or more new substances. Chemical reactions are caused by electrons of one substance interacting with those of another. The reaction of an acid with a base, for example, results in the creation of a salt and water. Some, but not all, reactions can be reversed.

2. See nuclear reaction

3. An action that results directly from or counteracts another action, especially the change in a body's motion as a result of a force applied to it. Some reactions counteract forces and are not readily apparent. When an object rests on a surface, such as a table, for example, the downward force it applies to the surface is counteracted by an equal but upwards force, or reaction, applied by the surface.

4. See more at Newton's laws of motion

5. A response to a stimulus, such as a reflex.

6. The response of cells or tissues to an antigen, as in a test for immunization.

Usage

Reaction is used to refer both to an instant response ( her reaction was one of amazement ) and to a considered response in the form of a statement ( the Minister gave his reaction to the court's decision ). Some people think this second use is incorrect

Other Word Forms

• reactional adjective
• reactionally adverb
• antireaction adjective
• counterreaction noun
• nonreaction noun
• superreaction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reaction¹

First recorded in 1635–45; re- + action, modeled on react

Example Sentences

Still, Lick and others concede that the mere mention of an Amazon partnership generally elicits reactions, both from the companies that benefit and the ones that appear to be in the way.

Read more on MarketWatch

I know there has been quite a lot of reaction to the interview Ben Stokes gave to me straight after the match ended.

Read more on BBC

Nuclear plants - which generate electricity by using atomic reactions to produce heat - are "essential to the UK's future", with the country at risk of missing out on a "worldwide nuclear renaissance".

Read more on BBC

Thinking on a micro level, the market downturn following Nvidia’s earnings could have been driven by a fund or portfolio liquidating, Luria said, and wasn’t necessarily a reaction to Nvidia’s report itself.

Read more on MarketWatch

“Putting out a feeler in a noncrisis situation to see what kind of reactions you get is a really valuable thing,” she says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• answer 
• attitude 
• backlash 
• feedback 
• feeling 
• opinion 
• reception 
• reply 
• return