overreacto‧ver‧re‧act /ˌəʊvəriˈækt $ ˌoʊ-/ verb [intransitive] 
Verb Table Examples
You always overreact to criticism. Many investors overreacted to the stock market crash.—overreaction /-riˈækʃən/ noun [singular, uncountable]: Their response was an overreaction.
Verb TableVERB TABLE
overreact
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | overreact |
| he, she, it | overreacts | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | overreacted |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have overreacted |
| he, she, it | has overreacted | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had overreacted |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will overreact |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have overreacted |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am overreacting |
| he, she, it | is overreacting | |
| you, we, they | are overreacting | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was overreacting |
| you, we, they | were overreacting | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been overreacting |
| he, she, it | has been overreacting | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been overreacting |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be overreacting |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been overreacting |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Overreacting with shock when a child uses a swear word is likely to make him use it again.
- Don't you think you're overreacting a little? I'm only ten minutes late.
- Don't you think you're overreacting? I only said "hi". It's not as if we're having an affair!
- I think people have overreacted to the advertisement - we didn't intend of offend anyone.
- Some analysts believe the bank overreacted, and that interest rates did not really need to rise.
- Some residents overreact to the problem of crime by just not going out at all.
- The state has dramatically overreacted to the use of soft drugs.
- Afterward, the band manager was quoted as saying that anyone who objected was overreacting.
- And he tended to overreact to any problems.
- As a result, it will be important that the United States not overreact to inevitable demonstrations and protests.
- I also find it quite interesting that the National Rivers Authority are urging people not to overreact to the problem.
- It means that when we are irritable, tired, worried, or in pain we may overreact.
- No source of trouble now need be permanent unless you make it so by overreacting to it.
- Patrick had been accused of overreacting the previous day.
- They will not need to overreact with despair or anger.
Longman Language Activatorto react to something► react
Word family to say or do something because of what another person has said or done, or because of something that has happened: · How did your parents react when you told them you were going to marry Jim?· It's hard not to react badly when your kids are playing up.react to: · People reacted to the speech in different ways.· The chairman reacted angrily to the report and said it would make it much harder to reach a deal.react against: · Emma is not behaving very reasonably nowadays. I think she's reacting against her teachers' strictness.react by doing something: · A shot was fired, and the police reacted by firing into the crowd.react with disappointment/laughter/violence etc: · When children perform poorly at school, parents often react with anger.· Many gays reacted with outrage at the tactic of "outing" senior public figures.
► respond to react to something that someone has said to you, or something that someone has done to you or for you: · The more attention you pay him, the better he responds.respond with: · Rob's smile was irresistible, and she responded with a grin.respond to: · The children responded well to the day's activities.· The theatre has been slow to respond to the challenges presented by progressive drama.respond by doing something: · The demonstrators attacked and burned buildings and cars; the soldiers responded by opening fire.
► greet to react to something with a particular attitude or with a particular action: · The news has been greeted angrily within Egyptian government circles.be greeted with something: · Donaldson's remarks were greeted with cautious enthusiasm.· The proposals were greeted with a mixture of skepticism and distrust.
► meet with to get a particular reaction, especially a negative one: · The proposals met with fierce opposition from women's groups and labour unions.· Any attempts to impose a solution would be quite likely to meet with even more violence.to be met with: · The US says any further attacks will be met with the full force of the US military.
► overreact to react too strongly to something that has happened, especially by becoming extremely angry, worried, or afraid: · Don't you think you're overreacting? I only said "hi". It's not as if we're having an affair!overreact to: · Some residents overreact to the problem of crime by just not going out at all.· The state has dramatically overreacted to the use of soft drugs.overreact with: · Overreacting with shock when a child uses a swear word is likely to make him use it again.
what someone says or does when they react to something► reaction what someone says or does when they react to something: · My father was so surprised by this violent reaction that he fell silent.reaction to/against: · Maria's reaction to the birth of her sister was to demand more attention from her mother.initial/first reaction: · I was stunned by the news, and my initial reaction was anger.· Can you tell us about your first reactions to this news?gut reaction (=a strong reaction that you have, although you are not sure why): · I wanted to write something thoughtful, not just leap in with my gut reaction.knee-jerk reaction (=a reaction you have without thinking about it first): · Environmentalists have a knee-jerk reaction against any sort of development, however "green" it might be.
► response your reaction to something that someone has said to you, done to you, or asked you for: · The story has provoked a strong response from the Chinese.· "You've persuaded me," she laughed, amazed at her own response. response to: · Tina's outburst was a delayed response to her husband's behaviour the week before.get a response: · We've tried to include Susan in our social activities, but we get no response.in response to something (=as a way of responding): · In response to local demand, we will be opening this store from nine till seven on Sundays.
► feedback advice, criticism, praise etc that you give to someone, telling them how well they are working: · We are very encouraged by the feedback we've had from our shareholders.give somebody feedback/give feedback (to somebody): · Every Friday, Mr James would hand out the students' essays and give them some feedback.feedback on: · It is important to give employees regular feedback on their performance.positive/negative feedback: · I'm lucky to work for an employer who gives positive feedback on my work.
► backlash an angry or violent reaction by a group of people to the actions or decisions of others: backlash against: · Members of the Rifle and Pistol Club fear a public backlash against their sport after a recent armed raid in the village.· The attacks have sparked a bitter backlash against the revolutionary forces.backlash from: · a growing backlash from angry voters
► overreaction when someone reacts much too strongly to something: · I'm not arguing in favor of cannabis. I'm just saying we should be careful of overreaction.· The appeal court judge described the sentence as a gross overreaction to the recent spate of bombing campaigns.
to do something too much► try/think/push etc too hard to do something with too much effort, so that you do not get the result you want: · You're hitting the ball too hard.· I think you've been working too hard - you need a rest· Many parents try too hard to engineer a safe environment for their child, with disastrous results.
► overdo it especially spoken to do or say something too much, especially to do too much work or exercise: · You need more exercise, but be careful not to overdo it.· The tour guide managed to be funny and informative, without overdoing it.
► overreact to get too angry or too worried when something happens which is not in fact very serious: · Don't you think you're overreacting a little? I'm only ten minutes late.overreact to: · I think people have overreacted to the advertisement - we didn't intend of offend anyone.
► go too far/take something too far to do something so much or to such a great degree that you offend, upset, or annoy people, especially because you do not know when it is reasonable to stop: · Officials were worried that the Chairman's criticisms had gone too far.· John had taken the joke too far and now Betty was crying.go too far/take sth too far in doing something: · We all agree there have to be some controls, but the government has gone too far in ordering all immigration to be stopped.
► go to extremes to do something so much, state something so strongly etc, that people consider your actions unacceptable and unreasonable: · Hunt went to such extremes to get his promotion that everyone at the office hates him now.· You don't have to go to extremes to become healthier - a little exercise and slight changes to your diet can work wonders.
► to excess if you do something to excess , you do it so much that it is wrong or harmful: · The government enthusiastically supports US foreign policy, sometimes to excess.· He drank to excess, occasionally causing scenes in front of CIA officials.
► over the top something you say or do that is over the top is extreme, so that it is either very funny and entertaining, or very annoying or offensive: · Some of his remarks about women were really over the top.· The show was supposed to be a kind of over-the-top satire - it wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.go over the top: · The movie's drawn-out finale goes over the top in its attempt to keep the audience in suspense.
► overload to give someone too much work to do or try to make a system handle too much work: · We can't take money from a school system that is already overloaded.· They overloaded the computer system, and the whole thing just stopped.· Projects should stretch people and make them work hard, but not overload them.
► overindulge/overindulge yourself use this humorously when you have eaten too much rich food or drunk too much alcohol: · Schneider told quite a funny story about how he had overindulged one night.· What's the point of a vacation, after all, if not to overindulge yourself?
► flog something to death British informal to talk too much about a subject or repeat a joke or story too often, so that no one is interested in it any more: · It was a good story a month ago, but the newspapers have really flogged it to death.
WORD FAMILYnounreactionreactorreactionaryoverreactionadjectivereactionaryreactiveverbreactoverreact
to react to something with too much emotion, or by doing something that is unnecessaryoverreact to You always overreact to criticism. Many investors overreacted to the stock market crash.—overreaction /-riˈækʃən/ noun [singular, uncountable]: Their response was an overreaction.