reach
Americanverb (used with object)
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reaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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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.
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to stretch or hold out; extend.
reaching out a hand in greeting.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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to sail with the wind forward of the beam but so as not to require sailing close-hauled.
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noun
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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.
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Also called pound. a level portion of a canal, between locks.
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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.
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the pole connecting the rear axle of a wagon to the transverse bar or bolster over the front axle supporting the wagon bed.
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a straight portion of a river between two bends.
verb
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(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
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(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
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(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
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(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
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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
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am reachingprogressive
-
are reachingprogressive
-
is reachingprogressive
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have been reachingperfect progressive
-
has been reachingperfect progressive
Past
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reachedsimple
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had reachedperfect
-
was reachingprogressive
-
were reachingprogressive
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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:
They made it a game in the fourth with a 16-5 run but were too far back and it took just a couple of Valkyries shots to put the game out of reach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Failure to reach a deal could lead to Thames Water being forced into a "special administration regime", a form of temporary nationalisation intended to keep the business operating until a viable solution can be found.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But many Zambians say the benefits have been slow to reach ordinary citizens.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
A financial loophole previously allowed China’s tech elite to list their companies in Hong Kong or elsewhere and mint fortunes offshore beyond the reach of Chinese authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
As head of the Dutch Reformed Church’s program to reach Jews, Willem kept in touch with these things.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Modern research has confirmed that intravenous vitamin C reaches much higher levels in the blood and has distinct biological effects.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Under the company’s framework, a model reaches the “critical” cybersecurity threshold if it can autonomously find and exploit vulnerabilities, or carry out end-to-end cyberattacks against hardened targets with only high-level instructions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
In contrast, a nongrantor trust reaches the 37% top rate on undistributed taxable income above just $16,000.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
The sanctions campaign also reaches the upper ranks of Cuba's military leadership.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
After walking for hours and hours, she reaches the city of Malolos, a little more than halfway through her forty-mile journey to Calumpit.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
This would mark the fourth consecutive month where 35C has been reached in the UK – a new record.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“At some point, we reached a breaking point,” then-Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
San Francisco only reached a high of 62 on Saturday, and Monterey, 66.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Three people were killed and hundreds of homes were damaged by Typhoon Noul in the Philippines before it reached China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
As each prisoner reached this point, she gave her name for the thousandth time that day and placed on the desk whatever she was wearing of value.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The DXY dollar index rose 0.1% to 99.675 after reaching as low as 99.403 Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was seated a row in front of veteran receiver Davante Adams, who once again had fallen just short of finally reaching the Super Bowl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and strong winds to Japan's Okinawa before reaching China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said it wanted to "block more offenders from getting out sooner into their sentence", but that could not happen without "risking prisons reaching capacity and collapsing".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I’m sorry, Orion,” Glory said, reaching down to rub between his ears.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
