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
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to come to or arrive at in some course of progress, action, etc..
Your letter never reached me.
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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.
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to establish communication with.
I called but couldn't reach you.
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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.
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to extend in operation or effect.
power that reaches throughout the land.
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to stretch in space; extend in direction, length, distance, etc..
a coat reaching to the knee;
a tower reaching to the skies.
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to extend or continue in time.
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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
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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
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(tr) to strike, esp in fencing or boxing
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(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
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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
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has reachedperfect
-
am reachingprogressive
-
are reachingprogressive
-
is reachingprogressive
-
have been reachingperfect progressive
-
has been reachingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
“Thank you for your commitment, your patience, and your belief in Brown-Forman’s future. It continues to anchor this company,” Farrer wrote on July 26, encouraging family members to reach out to him with any questions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Roberts added that Smith is “gonna play in the postseason” and that there is enough time for him to reach 100% strength.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Every day hundreds of people come from northern and eastern DR Congo on wooden boats aiming to reach Kinshasa.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
BJP social media pages have also started using memes, slang and pop-culture references to reach younger audiences.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Although Torak stood fifty paces above, he saw it as clearly as if he could reach out and touch it.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The complications can eventually be fatal, when not enough oxygen reaches the bloodstream.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
But if it allows the administration to continue building in the interim, the project could be all but done before the court case reaches its conclusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Still, as trucking companies pass along higher prices to their customers, it is only a matter of time before the impact reaches the consumer, Sutherland said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"If the index reaches 4,000 tomorrow I will go to the cinema to support this movie," one Weibo user wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Brie reaches across the table to squeeze one of my hands with her super cold fingers.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Energy UK said the Warm Home Discount reached six million customers, but there were another 2.5 million who needed help because a medical condition or draughty home meant they consumed more energy.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Representatives for the Trump administration could not immediately be reached for comment.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Now, the crackdown has reached a news organization created specifically to serve American troops and their families.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
That would more than double the five-year-old company's previous valuation at $965 billion, reached in its last funding round in June.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
They descended into a big valley of oak, ash and pine, and soon reached a wide silver river.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
With alternative shipping routes and ship-to-ship transfer of crude to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, the market is reaching a “sort of equilibrium” where operations aren’t as disrupted as much as before, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s reaching the people and I know it’s going to be different because there’s a different audience every night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Flaherty that prediction-market contracts are “swaps” under the Commodity Exchange Act, and that therefore federal law pre-empts state gambling statutes from reaching these markets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
When the Sun sits that low in the sky, its light must travel through much more of Earth's atmosphere before reaching an observer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 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
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.
