reacted; reacting; reacts
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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fans near the front of the stage appeared befuddled and unsure how to react.
—
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2024
Occasionally, Trump is shifting his head left or right, or giving a slight facial expression that appears to react to Pecker's testimony.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
When autocorrelation is too high, a model is not reacting enough to movement in the underlying data.
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Three TikTok creators with large followings shared their feelings with NBC News about the legislation and how the user base will continue to react to it.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Then when the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates in 2022, bonds tumbled before most models were able to react.
—Justina Lee, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Heat island effect Urban areas absorb more heat than rural areas because of how infrastructure reacts to sunlight.
—Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
Why Beijing has not bothered to react is a matter of speculation.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2024
Israel reacted angrily to the unprecedented strikes, while praising its military’s response.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2024
Occasionally, Trump is shifting his head left or right, or giving a slight facial expression that appears to react to Pecker's testimony.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
When autocorrelation is too high, a model is not reacting enough to movement in the underlying data.
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Three TikTok creators with large followings shared their feelings with NBC News about the legislation and how the user base will continue to react to it.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Then when the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates in 2022, bonds tumbled before most models were able to react.
—Justina Lee, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Heat island effect Urban areas absorb more heat than rural areas because of how infrastructure reacts to sunlight.
—Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
Why Beijing has not bothered to react is a matter of speculation.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2024
Israel reacted angrily to the unprecedented strikes, while praising its military’s response.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'react.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near react
Cite this Entry
“React.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/react. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
react
verb
re·act
rē-ˈakt 
1
: to act or behave in response (as to stimulation or an influence)
the colonists reacted to the tax by boycotting tea
2
: to oppose a force or influence
—usually used with against
reacted against their unfair treatment
3
: to go through or cause to go through a chemical reaction
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share