Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
react too much or toointensely .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb show an exaggerated response to something
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Update -- The paper's use of the word overreact appears to have been misleading.
Josh Nelson: GOP Can't Decide How to Attack Obama Over Oil Spill Response 2010
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Sooooo "the girl" ends up doing them, and she gets cast into the role of the mother/nag for caring about housework, while he's the cool guy who doesn't "overreact" and also doesn't have to do the housework, and he can just say she should lighten up.
Living with the boyfriend zombietron 2008
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Sooooo "the girl" ends up doing them, and she gets cast into the role of the mother/nag for caring about housework, while he's the cool guy who doesn't "overreact" and also doesn't have to do the housework, and he can just say she should lighten up.
Archive 2008-11-01 zombietron 2008
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Yes, it's possible to hold these views and still behave rashly, or "overreact," as I now firmly believe Gates did.
Norm Stamper: Let's All Have a Beer and Talk Police Work 2009
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Nordea doesn't want to "overreact" and risk losing market share by scaling back lending and closing branches, as some rivals have done, Mr. Clausen said in a conference call.
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Death or injury by rocket in Ashkelon, Ashdod, and other towns in southern Israel is bad, but - hey - not something to "overreact" to.
Dear Israel: There will be no "war to the bitter end" in the Holy Land - only bitter war 2008
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It could be that we'll all be very, very sorry the next time the police don't "overreact" for fear of bad publicity and complaints.
The Boston non-bombs. Ann Althouse 2007
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And I don't believe it's right for the Democrats to kind of overreact to the last election.
President In Photo Op During Congressional Meeting ITY National Archives 1995
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WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Warren Christopher urged Congress and the American people not to "overreact" to setbacks in Haiti,
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MPC's Adam Posen tells Bank of England not to 'overreact' to high inflation
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
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