outreach

American  

[out-reech, out-reech] / ˌaʊtˈritʃ, ˈaʊtˌritʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to reach beyond; exceed.

   The demand has outreached our supply.

2. Archaic. to reach out; extend.

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verb (used without object)

1. to reach out.

noun

1. an act or instance of reaching out.

2. length or extent of reach.

3. the act of extending services, benefits, etc., to a wider section of the population, as in community work.

adjective

1. concerned with extending community services, benefits, etc..

   an educational outreach program.

outreach British  

verb

1. (tr) to surpass in reach

2. (tr) to go beyond

3. to reach or cause to reach out

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noun

1. the act or process of reaching out

2. the length or extent of reach

3. social welfare any systematic effort to provide unsolicited and predefined help to groups or individuals deemed to need it

4. (modifier) (of welfare work or workers) propagating take-up of a service by seeking out appropriate people and persuading them to accept what is judged good for them Compare detached

Etymology

Origin of outreach

First recorded in 1560–70; out- + reach

Explanation

When medical care or other services are delivered to people in their community, it's through outreach. Your local animal shelter might conduct outreach programs to provide affordable vaccines to pet owners. When a person or organization reaches out to others, that's outreach. Churches, political groups, public health departments, and educators all offer outreach, extending some kind of helping hand or useful information to the wider community. You can also use this word to mean "exceed," like when demand for a new gaming console outreaches the available supply, or when a tennis player with longer arms can outreach an opponent by being able to hit a ball from farther away.

Example Sentences

Since Trinity College supported our move to the park, we have transformed our scale, reaching over 30,000 people in 2025 alone - from our Cambridge centre to dedicated outreach with nearly 1,400 pupils in Wisbech.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio later played down the outreach, saying that Trump “didn’t ask him for anything.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

It was Venezuela’s unprecedented outreach in 1949 that made the Middle East exporters think of themselves as partners instead of rivals, bringing even historic enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia together.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The AFT’s outreach to the SEC ahead of a company’s IPO is a first for the union, which represents 1.8 million education, healthcare and public-sector workers.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

There are students, parents, and a few people from community outreach organizations.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• eclipse
• outpace
• outstrip
• top