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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

React Meaning, Examples, and Common Usage (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：respond (react)

react 🔊

/riˈækt/

to behave or do something as an answer to what has happened or been said.

respond 🔊

➕

/rɪˈspɑːnd/

To behave or do something as a direct result of a situation or event.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 're-' (again) + 'agere' (to do/act); means 'to act in response'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 're-act': you act again in response to something. Like a quick second action!

📖 Example

The children's faces lit up as they reacted to the surprise gift. 🔊 The children's faces lit up as they reacted to the surprise gift.

🔗 Collocations

react to – to respond to a stimulus or event

react with – to show a response using a specific emotion or action

react by – to take a specific action as a response

🔄 Synonyms

respond (v.) – to say or do something in return

reply (v.) – to answer in words or action

answer (v.) – to give a response to a question or situation

🚫 Antonyms

ignore (v.) – to refuse to pay attention to something

disregard (v.) – to intentionally not react to something

neglect (v.) – to fail to respond appropriately

🌱 Derivatives

reaction (n.) – a response to a stimulus

reactive (adj.) – tending to respond quickly

reactor (n.) – something that causes or undergoes a reaction

📖 Cultural Story

Latin prefix 're-' (back) + 'agere' (to do) passed through French to English, first used in 17th-century chemistry for interactions. Now common for any responsive action.

Meaning 2：react chemically (react)

react 🔊

/riˈækt/

(in chemistry or medicine) to change after coming into contact with another substance.

react chemically 🔊

➕

/riˈækt ˈkɛmɪkli/

To undergo a chemical transformation when coming into contact with another substance, typically producing new substances.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

In the science experiment, we observed how the metal reacted with the acid, producing bubbles. 🔊 In the science experiment, we observed how the metal reacted with the acid, producing bubbles.

🔗 Collocations

react with – to combine chemically with another substance

react (chemically) to – to undergo a change when exposed to a substance

react together – of substances, to interact chemically

🔄 Synonyms

interact (v.) – to act on each other, especially chemically

combine (v.) – to join or mix together chemically

change (v.) – to become different, especially through a chemical process

🚫 Antonyms

remain inert (v. + adj.) – to stay unchanged chemically

be stable (v. + adj.) – to not undergo any chemical reaction

stay unresponsive (v. + adj.) – to not react even when in contact

🌱 Derivatives

reaction (n.) – a chemical process in which substances change

reactant (n.) – a substance that takes part in a chemical reaction

reactive (adj.) – likely to undergo a chemical reaction