reach
Americanverb (used with object)
-
reaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reached,
past participle, past
-
reaching
present participle
-
to get to or get as far as in moving, going, traveling, etc..
The boat reached the shore.
- Synonyms:
- attain
-
to come to or arrive at in some course of progress, action, etc..
Your letter never reached me.
-
to succeed in touching or seizing with an outstretched hand, a pole, etc..
to reach a book on a high shelf.
-
to stretch or hold out; extend.
reaching out a hand in greeting.
-
to stretch or extend so as to touch or meet.
The bookcase reaches the ceiling.
-
to establish communication with.
I called but couldn't reach you.
-
to amount to, as in the sum or total.
The cost will reach millions.
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to penetrate to.
distant stars the eye cannot reach.
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to succeed in striking or hitting, as with a weapon or missile.
The artillery fire reached the shore.
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to succeed in making contact with, influencing, impressing, interesting, convincing, etc..
a program that reached a large teenage audience.
verb (used without object)
-
reaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reached,
past participle, past
-
reaching
present participle
-
to make a stretch, as with the hand or arm.
-
to become outstretched, as the hand or arm.
-
to make a movement or effort as if to touch or seize something.
to reach for a weapon.
-
to extend in operation or effect.
power that reaches throughout the land.
-
to stretch in space; extend in direction, length, distance, etc..
a coat reaching to the knee;
a tower reaching to the skies.
-
to extend or continue in time.
-
to get or come to a specified place, person, condition, etc. (often followed byto ).
-
to amount (often followed byto ).
sums reaching to a considerable total.
-
to penetrate.
Fields of flowers extended as far as the eye could reach.
-
to assert or agree without certainty or sufficient evidence; infer hastily.
I'd be reaching if I said I had the answer to your question.
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Nautical.
-
to sail on a reach.
-
to sail with the wind forward of the beam but so as not to require sailing close-hauled.
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noun
-
reaches
plural
-
an act or instance of reaching.
to make a reach for a gun.
-
the extent or distance of reaching.
within reach of his voice.
-
range of effective action, power, or capacity.
-
a continuous stretch or extent of something.
a reach of woodland.
-
Also called pound. a level portion of a canal, between locks.
-
Nautical. a point of sailing in which the wind is within a few points of the beam, either forward of the beam close reach, directly abeam beam reach, or abaft the beam broad reach.
-
the pole connecting the rear axle of a wagon to the transverse bar or bolster over the front axle supporting the wagon bed.
-
a straight portion of a river between two bends.
verb
-
(tr) to arrive at or get to (a place, person, etc) in the course of movement or action
to reach the office
-
to extend as far as (a point or place)
to reach the ceiling
can you reach?
-
(tr) to come to (a certain condition, stage, or situation)
to reach the point of starvation
-
(intr) to extend in influence or operation
the Roman conquest reached throughout England
-
informal (tr) to pass or give (something to a person) with the outstretched hand
to reach someone a book
-
(intr; foll by out, for, or after) to make a movement (towards), as if to grasp or touch
to reach for something on a shelf
-
(intr; foll by for or after) to strive or yearn
to reach for the impossible
-
(tr) to make contact or communication with (someone)
we tried to reach him all day
-
(tr) to strike, esp in fencing or boxing
-
(tr) to amount to (a certain sum)
to reach the five million mark
-
(intr) nautical to sail on a tack with the wind on or near abeam
noun
-
the act of reaching
-
the extent or distance of reaching
within reach of safety
beyond her reach
-
the range of influence, power, jurisdiction, etc
-
an open stretch of water, esp on a river
-
nautical the direction or distance sailed by a vessel on one tack
-
a bar on the rear axle of a vehicle connecting it with some part at the front end
-
television radio the percentage of the population selecting a broadcast programme or channel for more than a specified time during a day or week
-
marketing the proportion of a market that an advertiser hopes to reach at least once in a campaign
Usage
What is a basic definition of reach? Reach means to arrive at, to extend, or to touch by stretching toward something. Reach has many other senses as a verb and a noun. If you reach somewhere, you successfully arrive there. If you reached the bank by noon, for example, you managed to get to the bank by noon. The word reach often implies lengthy travel or that the journey had some challenges along the way. Reach can also be used figuratively to mean someone achieved a position or got to a certain state. For example, a child reaches adulthood when they turn 18.
- Real-life examples: The sun’s rays reach the Earth after traveling through space. Baby turtles must navigate the dangers of the beach before they reach the water. Students may need to run quickly to reach the school bus before it leaves.
- Used in a sentence: Lana reached a dark point in her life where nothing seemed to matter.
- Real-life examples: Plants reach toward the sky to gather more sunlight. You reach your hand out in order to give someone a handshake. A cat’s fur will reach up when they are scared.
- Used in a sentence: The police ordered the criminal to reach his hands into the air.
- Real-life examples: You might need a ladder in order to reach something stuck on your roof. Giraffes have long necks that make it easy for them to reach leaves high in the trees. Grocery stores put sugary snacks on lower shelves so that children can reach them.
- Used in a sentence: Erin was too short to reach the cereal on the top shelf.
Synonym Usage
See grasp.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reachsimple
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reachessimple
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have reachedperfect
-
has reachedperfect
-
am reachingprogressive
-
are reachingprogressive
-
is reachingprogressive
-
have been reachingperfect progressive
-
has been reachingperfect progressive
Past
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reachedsimple
-
had reachedperfect
-
was reachingprogressive
-
were reachingprogressive
-
had been reachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reach
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb rechen, Old English rǣcan (cognate with German reichen, Dutch reiken ); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To reach is to stretch toward something, arrive at a destination, or contact someone. You might reach for a bottle of water after you reach the finish line, then reach out to a friend who can give you a ride home. Tall people often have a really long reach – they can practically grab something from across the room. If you do what your dad says long after he’s gone, his reach is long lasting. You can reach for a glass on a high shelf or reach the age you can get your driver's license. When people reach out, they try to make a connection, like an old phone company’s slogan: “Reach out and touch someone.”
Vocabulary lists containing reach
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To help the nanoparticles reach the correct immune cells, the scientists covered their surfaces with antibody fragments.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
If I could reach the bolt cutters, I could cut through this.
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2026
Children reach out to touch the robots while their parents snap photographs and selfies.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
Many young Americans feel their financial goals are simply out of reach, even if the macro numbers show progress.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026
I reach out so we can shake hands, but Lafayette is hesitant.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The deal combines Fox’s news, sports and broadcast channels with the San Jose-based streaming platform, which reaches 100 million households globally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The highlight of the trip is undoubtedly saved for last, when Pope Leo reaches Peru - described by the Vatican as a return to his roots.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Still, whenever someone reaches out to gauge her interest in returning to the recruiting industry, she makes time for a conversation, even if she doesn’t expect it to go anywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Here, nerve fibers are organized so that information from the right visual field reaches the left side of the brain, while information from the left visual field is directed to the right side.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Mom reaches into her tote and pulls out some cash.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
The SPY-to-RSP ratio has reached the very lower end of the range it has remained within since June 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 8, 2026
And yet the Wands had never reached the FA Cup first round in their 166-year history.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
The experiment provided independent evidence that the focused flashes reached peak intensities exceeding 10²⁰ watts per square centimeter.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
“Someone is using this brand for their own malicious purposes,” Pozdnyakov said when reached by the Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
He opened them in silence, then reached over and dropped them into Mary’s lap.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
A new study led by the University of Bath estimates that carbon dioxide production from human metabolism increased by 74% between 1985 and 2015, reaching 2.05 billion metric tons annually.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at online bank Swissquote, said the broader risk selloff was reaching all corners of the market, hurting healthcare stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Even as the truck’s launch was delayed from 2021 to late 2023, purchase reservations kept coming in, at one point reaching 2 million, according to a crowd-sourced tracker.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Even after a substantial evening meal, foods rich in sugar, fat or salt can continue to activate reward pathways in the brain, helping explain why many people find themselves reaching for something more.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Chip took his time about reaching in, drawing out the stacks of letters and magazines and junk mail.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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