chemical reaction, reaction -- ((chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others; "there was a chemical reaction of the lime with the ground water")
reaction -- (an idea evoked by some experience; "his reaction to the news was to start planning what to do")
reaction, response -- (a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some antecedent stimulus or agent; "a bad reaction to the medicine"; "his responses have slowed with age")
reaction -- ((mechanics) the equal and opposite force that is produced when any force is applied to a body; "every action has an equal and opposite reaction")
reaction -- (a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude; "he was pleased by the audience's reaction to his performance"; "John feared his mother's reaction when she saw the broken lamp")
reaction -- (extreme conservatism in political or social matters; "the forces of reaction carried the election")
reaction -- (doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like; "his style of painting was a reaction against cubism")