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Collocations for reaction - noun

1. response

ADJECTIVE

extreme, strong, violent
favourable/favorable, positive
adverse, hostile, negative
mixed
The speech got a mixed reaction.
angry
first, immediate, initial
delayed
Her outburst was a delayed reaction to an unpleasant letter she'd received that morning.
chain
The change of plan set off a chain reaction of confusion.
common, general, public
natural, normal, understandable
His reaction is completely understandable.
automatic, gut, instinctive, knee-jerk, spontaneous
The incident calls for a measured response, avoiding knee-jerk reactions.
nervous
emotional, visceral
critical
The critical reaction to his first novel has been positive.

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VERB + reaction

get, have, meet with
The play met with a mixed reaction from the critics.
experience
I believe she is experiencing a post-traumatic stress reaction.
bring, cause, elicit, induce, produce, provoke, set off, spark, spark off, trigger, trigger off
She was surprised at the reaction brought by the mention of his name.
gauge, judge
He eyed her cautiously, trying to gauge her reaction.
judge by, judge from
Judging by her reaction, she liked the present.

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PREPOSITION

in reaction to
There's been a drop in ticket sales in reaction to the review.
reaction against
Her rebellious attitude is just a reaction against her strict upbringing.
reaction to
the public reaction to the news

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2. (usually reactions) ability to react quickly

ADJECTIVE

fast, good, lightning, quick
Keenan showed lightning reactions.
slow

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VERB + reaction

have
She has very quick reactions.
speed up
slow down
Alcohol has the effect of slowing down your reactions.

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reaction + NOUN

time
Your reaction time increases when you are tired.

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3. chemical reaction

ADJECTIVE

chain
chemical, nuclear, thermonuclear, etc.
fission, fusion
reversible

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VERB + reaction

cause, initiate, produce, start, trigger
catalyse/catalyze (science)
stop
slow down, speed up

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reaction + VERB

occur, take place

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PREPOSITION

during a/the reaction, in a/the reaction
the energy given out during the reaction
reaction between
I am studying the reactions between certain gases.
reaction with
the fuel's chemical reaction with the surrounding water

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4. physical reaction

ADJECTIVE

adverse, bad, severe
mild, slight
delayed
a delayed reaction to the drugs
allergic
inflammatory

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VERB + reaction

experience, have, suffer
She had a very bad allergic reaction to the peanuts.
cause, induce, produce

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PREPOSITION

reaction to
A small minority of patients suffer an adverse reaction to the treatment.

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