outreach
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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outreaches
plural
adjective
verb
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(tr) to surpass in reach
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(tr) to go beyond
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to reach or cause to reach out
noun
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the act or process of reaching out
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the length or extent of reach
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social welfare any systematic effort to provide unsolicited and predefined help to groups or individuals deemed to need it
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(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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outreach
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
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:
Stanford scientists will also perform a 3-D scan and print a copy of the tooth for Midpen to use for public outreach and education.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
“It’s really hard to trust if any outreach is legitimate. It’s really hard to know what to trust,” he told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Malia says among her peers, these videos are seen as "comic content" rather than taken as political messaging or outreach.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“On a fairly recent Regent cruise, Regent did what appeared to be outstanding outreach to the solo travelers including hosting at least two dinners,” Keith Pladsen of Pennsylvania says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The sorority tutored, mentored children, did community outreach, and gave out scholarships.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Efforts by Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia in recent days were similarly fruitless, people familiar with those outreaches said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
“She has to begin to govern in a way that outreaches to political opponents and also seeks to unify a coalition of supporters,” said Farnsworth of the Council of the Americas.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
The 60-day period of footage shows people moving boxes from the basement storage area around the time of one of the outreaches from the Justice Department.
From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2022
The comments also included dozens of submissions of the same form letter in support of the deal, almost all copying in SRB and spurred by text-message outreaches by the company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2020
Seldom had La Fleur or either of her husbands prepared for prince, ambassador, or titled gourmand a meal which better satisfied the loftiest outreaches of the soul in the truest interests of the palate.
From The Girl at Cobhurst by Frank Richard Stockton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
