reach out
Americanverb phrase
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to contact or try to contact someone (usually followed by to).
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to try to help a person or group that is in need, socially marginalized, etc. (usually followed by to).
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to seek help or support.
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.
Even with a cornerback hanging off one arm, Smith can reach out the other for the catch—a superpower that helped him haul in 82.1% of his targets last season despite facing constant double- and triple-coverage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“They don’t really have the capacity to reach out and find someone out in the Arabian Sea on radar any longer,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
She sheepishly says that she didn’t reach out herself, but got her manager to do it while she was working on the second half of her memoir.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
"Every employer should check their payroll now and reach out to Acas if they need further support," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
I reach out and let my fingers graze the wheel, then jump as the ship jerks forward a few feet.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
