react
verb
re·act
| \ rē-ˈakt
\
\
reacted;
reacting;
reacts
Definition of react
1
: to exert a reciprocal or counteracting force or influence
—often used with on or upon
2
: to change in response to a stimulus
3
: to act in opposition to a force or influence
—usually used with against
4
: to move or tend in a reverse direction
5
: to undergo chemical reaction
: to cause to react
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Examples of react in a Sentence
When I told her what happened, she reacted with anger.
I didn't expect him to react that way.
The firefighters reacted quickly when they heard the alarm.
He reacted badly to the drug.
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Recent Examples on the Web
How have South Korea and Japan reacted to this alarming threat? — The Economist, "South Korea and Japan are taking their historical feud too far," 31 Aug. 2019 Gargiulo, who lived near all the victims, did not visibly react to the verdict. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man dubbed ‘Boy Next Door Killer’ found sane by jury," 22 Aug. 2019 Many people reported hearing the bangs, but didn't react until the crowds started screaming and running. — CBS News, "Motorcycle backfire stirs panic in NYC's Times Square as crowd mistakes sound for gunshot," 7 Aug. 2019 Even law enforcement officers, who receive training to respond to mass shootings, often don’t react as expected. — Mahita Gajanan, Time, "'Good Guys With Guns' Can Rarely Stop Mass Shootings, and Texas and Ohio Show Why," 6 Aug. 2019 On Friday, Hurd didn’t react after he was twice tackled to the ground in practice. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ rookie WR Hurd has displayed a spirit of ferocity," 4 Aug. 2019 And while Dietrich wasn't struck by the pitch and didn't react at the time, the incident set off a lot jawing between players in the innings that followed. — Dan Horn, Cincinnati.com, "Can pitcher get arrested for throwing at Reds' batter? Yes, but he probably won't.," 31 July 2019 When the scene was shown to a Las Vegas convention of movie distributors, the men in the room did not react at all. — Lisa Bonos, chicagotribune.com, "30 years ago, one scene from ‘When Harry Met Sally’ changed how we talk about sex," 12 July 2019 Gibson said about how her brother would react to the marker. — Ivana Hrynkiw | [email protected], al.com, "Honorary marker unveiled at Red Mountain Park," 10 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'react.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for react
react
verb
English Language Learners Definition of react
: to behave or change in a particular way when something happens, is said, etc.
of a chemical substance
: to change after coming into contact with another substance
medical
: to be affected by a drug, food, etc., in usually a bad way
See the full definition for react in the English Language Learners Dictionary
react
verb
re·act
| \ rē-ˈakt
\
\
reacted;
reacting
Kids Definition of react
1
: to act or behave in response to something
Firefighters reacted quickly to the situation.
2
: to oppose a force or influence
Hint:
In this sense, react is usually used with against. Workers reacted against unfair treatment.
3
: to go through a chemical reaction
Acids react with bases to form salt.
react
intransitive verb
re·act
| \ rē-ˈakt
\
\
Medical Definition of react
1
: to respond to a stimulus
2
: to undergo chemical reaction
: to cause to react
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