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

Melvoin’s opponent is Ankur Patel, outreach director for Hindu University of America, who is critical of some charters but not as much as Rivas is, based on his survey responses.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Gypsy leader Billy Welch said his school visits have made a "huge difference" in tackling racism in Darlington as he urged the government and education authorities to support school outreach work.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Paz's previous attempts at outreach, including his firing of an unpopular labor minister and promises to give trade unions and Indigenous groups more of a say in government policy, didn't seem to satisfy them.

From Barron's • May 25, 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

I am told by Will that I should not fear Carolinian numbers so much as Virginian sharpshooters, who, armed with rifles, can far outreach the musket in range and fatal accuracy.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• eclipse
• outpace
• outstrip
• top