- 1[countable, uncountable] reaction (to somebody/something) what you do, say, or think as a result of something that has happened What was his reaction to the news? My immediate reaction was one of shock. A spokesman said the changes were not in reaction to the company's recent losses. There has been a mixed reaction to her appointment as director. The decision provoked an angry reaction from local residents. I tried shaking him but there was no reaction. change in attitudes
- 2[countable, usually singular, uncountable] reaction (against something) a change in people's attitudes or behavior caused by disapproval of the attitudes, etc. of the past The return to traditional family values is a reaction against the permissiveness of recent decades.
- 3[countable, uncountable] a response by the body, usually a bad one, to a drug, chemical substance, etc. to have an allergic reaction to a drug to danger
- 4reactions [plural] the ability to move, or do something, quickly in response to something, especially if in danger a skilled driver with quick reactions against progress
- 5[uncountable] opposition to social or political progress or change The forces of reaction made change difficult. science
- 6[countable, uncountable] (chemistry) a chemical change produced by two or more substances acting on each other a chemical/nuclear reaction see chain reaction
- 7[uncountable, countable] (physics) a force shown by something in response to another force, which is of equal strength and acts in the opposite direction Action and reaction are equal and opposite.
to event/situation
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