From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishreflex actionreflex actionsomething that you do without thinking, as a reaction to a situation → reflex
Examples from the Corpus
reflex action• You develop a reflex action of reaching for the bowl.• As the knife entered her she seemed to try to double up, but it was only a reflex action.• By reflex action - a mechanism of the nervous system - the threatened hand is instantly withdrawn and the threatened eye closed.• His reflex action was to bend and swing round violently, and I was thrown to the ground.• We then moved close and fired from the hip and shoulder in reflex action shooting.• He caught her arm in mid-air, a deceptively lazy reflex action, his fingers biting into her forearm.• In a smooth, reflex action honed by years of practice, I say no.• The reflex action at this point is to descend into cynicism. 