react
Americanverb (used without object)
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to act in response to an agent or influence.
How did the audience react to the speech?
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to act reciprocally upon each other, as two things.
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to act in a reverse direction or manner, especially so as to return to a prior condition.
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to act in opposition, as against some force.
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to respond to a stimulus in a particular manner.
reacting to a shock by jumping; to react to the word “coward” with anger.
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to undergo a chemical reaction.
verb
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(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
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to act in an opposing or contrary manner
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(intr) physics to exert an equal force in the opposite direction to an acting force
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chem to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction
Etymology
Origin of react
First recorded in 1635–45; re- + act, probably modeled on Medieval Latin reagere
Explanation
When you react to something, you respond to it. If someone pokes you in class, you might react by sticking out your tongue at them. The teacher might then react by giving you both detention. If someone says to you, "act, don't react," they are telling you not to automatically respond to something that someone does. Instead, you should think about it first and then decide what you want to do. In science, the word react is used to describe what happens when two substances combine and cause a chemical change in each other. When you add baking soda to vinegar, the chemicals in each react and create a foamy lava like substance.
Vocabulary lists containing react
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 71-80
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 1
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"Building Bridges" and "The Right Words at the Right Time"
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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 continue to react to Berkshire Hathaway’s stock trades, even after Greg Abel became CEO and Warren Buffett chairman.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
However, second-placed Marquez had no time to react, hitting the back of the KTM before he and his Ducati bike went towards the wall and then cartwheeled through the air.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
By the time the slab releases, it’s moving faster than anyone watching can react.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
“We had Hollywood dominating our space, but then over time, we noticed that people started to react to Nollywood films. They speak to the value of the people, the culture.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
He’d figured that the man would react this way.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
