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.
He does answer my calls, but doesn’t really proactively reach out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
He wanted to know if I knew who the child’s mother was, because he’d been “wanting to reach out and send her something.”
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
They have not responded to our attempts to reach out.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
“I’m sorry for every moment I didn’t reach out or check in. This can’t be real.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Penelope was tempted to reach out and catch some on her finger, just as she used to scrape the last bit of icing from the bowl when Cook let her help in the kitchen.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
