Reach Definition and Meaning
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 6, 2024
Reach refers to the act of stretching out an arm to touch or grasp something, or the ability to achieve or attain something. e.g., He had to reach high to grab the book from the top shelf.
Table of Contents
Reach Definitions
To achieve or attain a goal, level, or condition.
The campaign reached its fundraising target.
To extend or stretch out (a body part) towards something.
She reached out her hand to shake his.
To extend or spread over an area or period.
The forest reaches down to the river's edge.
To offer or provide help or assistance.
He reached out to the community after the disaster.
To stretch or bend in order to grab something.
She had to reach across the table to get the salt.
To arrive at a destination or point in time.
We finally reached the mountaintop after hours of hiking.
To communicate with or contact someone.
I tried to reach him by phone but got no answer.
To have an influence or effect on someone or something.
The charity's efforts reach many in need.
To stretch or extend in capability or performance.
The athlete reached a new personal best in the race.
To grasp or attain mentally; to understand.
It took me a while to reach the solution to the puzzle.
To stretch out or put forth (a body part); extend
Reached out an arm.
To touch or grasp by stretching out or extending
Can't reach the shelf.
To arrive at; attain
Reached their destination.
Reached a conclusion.
To succeed in getting in contact with or communicating with
They reached us by phone. Our newsletter reaches a specialized readership.
To succeed in having an effect on
No one seems able to reach her anymore.
To extend as far as
The property reaches the shore.
To project as far as
A distant cry reached our ears.
To travel as far as
A long fly ball that reached the stadium's wall.
To aggregate or amount to
Sales reached the millions.
(Informal) To grasp and hand over to another
Reach me the sugar.
To extend or move a hand, arm, or other body part, especially when trying to touch or grasp something
Reached for a book.
Reach into a pocket.
To have extension in space or time
A coat that reaches to the knee.
A career that reached over several decades.
To have an influence or effect
A philosophy that reaches into many disciplines.
To make an effort to address the needs of a group or community. Often used with out
A program to reach out to disengaged youth.
(Nautical) To sail with the wind abeam.
The act or an instance of stretching or thrusting out
The frog caught the insect with a sudden reach of its tongue.
The extent or distance something can reach
A boxer with a long reach.
Range of understanding; comprehension
A subject beyond my reach.
Range or scope of influence or effect
The reach of the transmitter.
An expanse of land or water, such as a stretch of water visible between bends in a river or channel.
A rank or level in a social group or organization
The lower reaches of society.
A pole connecting the rear axle of a vehicle with the front.
(Nautical) The tack of a sailing vessel with the wind abeam.
(intransitive) To extend, stretch, or thrust out (for example a limb or object held in the hand).
He reached for a weapon that was on the table.
He reached for his shoe with his legs.
(transitive) To give to someone by stretching out a limb, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another person; to hand over.
To reach one a book
(intransitive) To stretch out the hand.
(transitive) To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; to extend some part of the body, or something held, so as to touch, strike, grasp, etc.
To reach an object with the hand, or with a spear
“I can't quite reach the pepper. Could you pass it to me?”
The gun was stored in a small box on a high closet shelf, but the boy managed to reach it by climbing on other boxes.
To strike or touch.
His bullet reached its intended target.
To extend an action, effort, or influence to; to penetrate to; to pierce, or cut.
(transitive) To extend to; to stretch out as far as; to touch by virtue of extent.
His hand reaches the river
When the forest reaches the river, you will be able to rest.
(transitive) To arrive at (a place) by effort of any kind.
After three years, he reached the position of manager.
The climbers reached the top of the mountain after a gruelling ten-day hike.
To make contact with.
I tried to reach you all day.
To connect with (someone) on an emotional level, making them receptive of (one); to get through to (someone).
What will it take for me to reach him?
To arrive at a particular destination.
(transitive) To continue living until or up to (a certain age).
You can only access the inheritance money when you reach the age of 25.
(obsolete) To understand; to comprehend.
To strain after something; to make (sometimes futile or pretentious) efforts.
Reach for your dreams.
Reach for the stars!
(intransitive) To extend in dimension, time etc.; to stretch out continuously (past, beyond, above, from etc. something).
(nautical) To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the wind nearly abeam.
To arrive at a particular destination, especially to join someone; to meet up.
What time you reaching tomorrow?
The act of stretching or extending; extension.
The ability to reach or touch with the person, a limb, or something held or thrown.
The fruit is beyond my reach.
To be within reach of cannon shot
The power of stretching out or extending action, influence, or the like; power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity.
Extent; stretch; expanse; hence, application; influence; result; scope.
(informal) An exaggeration; an extension beyond evidence or normal; a stretch.
To call George eloquent is certainly a reach.
(boxing) The distance a boxer's arm can extend to land a blow.
(nautical) Any point of sail in which the wind comes from the side of a vessel, excluding close-hauled.
(nautical) The distance traversed between tacks.
(nautical) A stretch of a watercourse which can be sailed in one reach (in the previous sense). An extended portion of water; a stretch; a straightish portion of a stream, river, or arm of the sea extending up into the land, as from one turn to another. By extension, the adjacent land.
A level stretch of a watercourse, as between rapids in a river or locks in a canal. (examples?)
An extended portion or area of land or water.
(obsolete) An article to obtain an advantage.
The pole or rod connecting the rear axle with the forward bolster of a wagon.
(obsolete or dialect) retch.
To retch.
To extend; to stretch; to thrust out; to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like.
Her tresses yellow, and long straughten,Unto her heeles down they raughten.
Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side.
Fruit trees, over woody, reached too farTheir pampered boughs.
Hence, to deliver by stretching out a member, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another; to hand over; as, to reach one a book.
He reached me a full cup.
To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; to extend some part of the body, or something held by one, so as to touch, strike, grasp, or the like; as, to reach an object with the hand, or with a spear.
O patron power, . . . thy present aid afford,Than I may reach the beast.
To strike, hit, or touch with a missile; as, to reach an object with an arrow, a bullet, or a shell.
Hence, to extend an action, effort, or influence to; to penetrate to; to pierce, or cut, as far as.
If these examples of grown men reach not the case of children, let them examine.
To extend to; to stretch out as far as; to touch by virtue of extent; as, his land reaches the river.
Thy desire . . . leads to no excessThat reaches blame.
To arrive at; to come to; to get as far as.
Before this letter reaches your hands.
To arrive at by effort of any kind; to attain to; to gain; to be advanced to.
The best account of the appearances of nature which human penetration can reach, comes short of its reality.
To understand; to comprehend.
Do what, sir? I reach you not.
To overreach; to deceive.
To stretch out the hand.
Goddess humane, reach, then, and freely taste!
To strain after something; to make efforts.
Reaching above our nature does no good.
To extend in dimension, time, amount, action, influence, etc., so as to touch, attain to, or be equal to, something.
And behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.
The new world reaches quite across the torrid zone.
To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the wind nearly abeam.
He would be in the posture of the mind reaching after a positive idea of infinity.
An effort to vomit.
The act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown; as, the fruit is beyond my reach; to be within reach of cannon shot.
The power of stretching out or extending action, influence, or the like; power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity.
Drawn by others who had deeper reaches than themselves to matters which they least intended.
Be sure yourself and your own reach to know.
Extent; stretch; expanse; hence, application; influence; result; scope.
And on the left hand, hell,With long reach, interposed.
I am to pray you not to strain my speechTo grosser issues, nor to larger reachThan to suspicion.
An extended portion of land or water; a stretch; a straight portion of a stream or river, as from one turn to another; a level stretch, as between locks in a canal; an arm of the sea extending up into the land.
The coast . . . is very full of creeks and reaches.
An artifice to obtain an advantage.
The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own underhand to cross the design.
The pole or rod which connects the hind axle with the forward bolster of a wagon.
The limits within which something can be effective;
Range of motion
He was beyond the reach of their fire
An area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:
The range of a supersonic jet
The ambit of municipal legislation
Within the compass of this article
Within the scope of an investigation
Outside the reach of the law
In the political orbit of a world power
The act of physically reaching or thrusting out
The limit of capability;
Within the compass of education
Reach a destination, either real or abstract;
We hit Detroit by noon
The water reached the doorstep
We barely made it to the finish line
I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts
Reach a point in time, or a certain state or level;
The thermometer hit 100 degrees
This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour
Move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense;
Government reaches out to the people
Be in or establish communication with;
Our advertisements reach millions
He never contacted his children after he emigrated to Australia
To gain with effort;
She achieved her goal despite setbacks
To extend as far as;
The sunlight reached the wall
Can he reach?
The chair must not touch the wall
Reach a goal, e.g.,
Make the first team
We made it!
She may not make the grade
Place into the hands or custody of;
Hand me the spoon, please
Turn the files over to me, please
He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers
To exert much effort or energy;
Straining our ears to hear
Reach Snonyms
Attain
To succeed in achieving (something that one desires and has worked for).
She finally attained her goal of running a marathon.
Span
To extend across; to cover or encompass a distance or period.
The bridge spans the river.
Stretch
To be made or be capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking.
The fabric can stretch to fit.
Access
The means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.
The stairway provides access to the rooftop.
Grasp
To seize and hold firmly.
She grasped the opportunity with both hands.
Achieve
To successfully bring about or reach (a desired objective, level, or result) by effort, skill, or courage.
He achieved a new personal best in the race.
Extend
To stretch out, unfold, or spread out.
He extended his hand in greeting.
Contact
To communicate with (someone), typically in order to give or receive specific information.
I'll contact you when I have more information.
Arrive
To reach a place at the end of a journey or a stage in a journey.
We arrived at the conclusion after much debate.
Touch
To come so close to (an object) as to be or come into contact with it.
The branches of the tree touch the side of the house.
Reach Idioms & Phrases
Reach out
To offer help or to make an effort to communicate.
If you need help, don't hesitate to reach out to me.
Reach a consensus
To come to an agreement among a group.
After hours of discussion, the committee finally reached a consensus.
Within reach
Something that can be easily obtained or achieved.
With just one more win, the championship is within reach.
Out of reach
Something that cannot be achieved or obtained.
The top shelf was out of reach for the little boy.
Reach for the stars
To set high goals or ambitions.
Even as a young athlete, she was always encouraged to reach for the stars.
Reach a verdict
To come to a decision, especially in a legal case.
The jury reached a verdict after two days of deliberation.
Reach a conclusion
To come to a final decision or opinion after considering all the information.
After researching, she reached the conclusion that the investment was not worth the risk.
Reach a turning point
To come to a moment of significant change.
The project reached a turning point when they discovered a new technology.
Reach one's ears
To become known to someone; to hear about something.
News of the scandal finally reached the CEO's ears.
Reach new heights
To achieve a new level of success.
The company has reached new heights under the new management.
Reach the end of the rope
To run out of patience or options.
After dealing with the issue for months, she felt she had reached the end of her rope.
Reach deep
To make a significant effort or to use a lot of one's resources.
The team had to reach deep to win the final game.
Reach one's limit
To reach the maximum capacity of endurance or ability.
After running the marathon, he felt he had reached his limit.
Reach into one's pocket
To spend one's own money.
To fund the project, he had to reach into his own pocket.
Reach a peak
To arrive at the highest point or level.
The athlete reached her peak at the age of 27.
Reach out and touch someone
To make a meaningful or emotional connection with someone.
The speaker's story was so moving, it reached out and touched everyone in the audience.
Reach an understanding
To come to a mutual agreement or comprehension.
The two parties reached an understanding after lengthy discussions.
Reach for the moon
Similar to "reach for the stars," aiming for a lofty goal.
He always told his children to reach for the moon in all their endeavors.
Reach across the aisle
To attempt to work with someone from an opposing or different group.
The senator was known for reaching across the aisle to pass important legislation.
Reach a boiling point
To reach a critical or crisis level.
The tension in the room reached a boiling point when the verdict was announced.
Reach Example Sentences
The river reaches the ocean at the delta.
The charity aims to reach out to homeless people in the city.
The company's sale have reaches a new high this quarter.
The music's reach extended far beyond the country of its origin.
The influence of the internet reaches into almost every aspect of modern life.
Common Curiosities
What is a stressed syllable in reach?
In the word "reach," the entire word is stressed as it is only one syllable.
How is reach used in a sentence?
Reach is used to describe the act of extending towards something or achieving a goal, e.g., She had to reach across the table to grab the salt shaker.
Why is it called reach?
It is called "reach" because it derives from the Old English word "ræcan," which means to stretch out, extend, or offer, signifying the action of extending one's hand or achieving a goal.
How do we divide reach into syllables?
Reach is a single syllable word and is not divided further.
What is the verb form of reach?
The verb form of "reach" is "reach," with "reached" as its past tense and past participle form.
What is the third form of reach?
The third form of "reach" is also "reached," used as the past participle in perfect tenses.
How many syllables are in reach?
Reach has one syllable.
What is the pronunciation of reach?
Reach is pronounced as /riːtʃ/.
What is the root word of reach?
The root word of "reach" is the Old English word "ræcan" or "raecan," meaning to stretch out, extend, or offer.
What is the first form of reach?
The first form of "reach" is "reach," which is the base form of the verb.
What is the second form of reach?
The second form of "reach" is "reached," which is the simple past tense.
What is the opposite of reach?
The opposite of "reach" could be "retract" or "withdraw" for physical movement, and "fail to achieve" for goals.
Is reach a countable noun?
As a noun, "reach" is typically uncountable when referring to the extent or range of something.
Is the word “reach” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
In a sentence, "reach" can be used as a verb where other nouns can serve as direct or indirect objects, e.g., "He reached (verb) the book (direct object)."
What is the singular form of reach?
As a verb, "reach" does not have singular or plural forms. As a noun, its singular form is "reach."
Is reach a noun or adjective?
"Reach" is primarily a verb and a noun. It is not commonly used as an adjective.
Is reach an adverb?
No, "reach" is not an adverb.
Is the word reach Gerund?
When used as a noun or in continuous tenses, "reaching" is the gerund form of the verb "reach."
Which vowel is used before reach?
The vowel used before "reach" depends on the preceding word, not on "reach" itself.
Is reach an abstract noun?
As a noun, "reach" can be both concrete, referring to the extent of something, and abstract, referring to the concept of achieving something.
Is reach a collective noun?
"Reach" is not typically used as a collective noun.
Which determiner is used with reach?
Determiners used with "reach" depend on its use in a sentence, e.g., "the reach of his influence" or "an impressive reach."
Which article is used with reach?
The article "the" is often used with "reach" when it functions as a noun, e.g., "the reach of the law."
What is another term for reach?
Another term for "reach" could be "extend" when referring to stretching out, or "achieve" when referring to attaining goals.
What is the plural form of reach?
The noun "reach" remains the same in plural form, but context may imply plurality, e.g., "the reaches of space."
Is reach a vowel or consonant?
The word "reach" starts with a consonant sound made by the letter "R."
Which conjunction is used with reach?
Conjunctions like "and," "but," or "or" can be used with "reach," depending on the sentence structure.
What part of speech is reach?
"Reach" is primarily used as a verb but can also be a noun in contexts like "within reach."
Is reach a negative or positive word?
"Reach" is neutral; its connotation depends on the context in which it is used.
Is the reach term a metaphor?
"Reach" can be used metaphorically to describe striving for goals or ambitions, e.g., "reach for the stars."
Is the word reach imperative?
"Reach" can be used in the imperative mood as a command, e.g., "Reach for the rope!"
Which preposition is used with reach?
Prepositions commonly used with "reach" include "to," "for," "into," and "across," depending on the context.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
