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.
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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.
-
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.
-
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:
A 22-year-old in Massachusetts reported having his account locked and not hearing back after dozens of attempts to reach Polymarket employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
World champion Luke Littler beat Nathan Aspinall in a dramatic finale to reach the last eight of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
For pest control, however, the same behavior could become an advantage if it helps a treatment reach termites that never directly encounter treated wood.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Re-Oak California needs donated acorns, volunteer planters and propagators, and money — especially if Crouch is to reach his dream goal of planting 20,000 trees a year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
But when I reach that house, a tidy little bungalow with a cat preening in the window, nobody answers the door.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Herzog’s adventurous spirit has led him to explore the furthest reaches of the globe, but also inward to map the strangest recesses of the heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
When it reaches the surface, the chemical potential is converted into kinetic energy, giving the muonium atom a boost that sends it vertically upward.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
But in a rare GQ profile ahead of his much-anticipated new film, “Digger,” Cruise’s zeal reaches heights even the intrepid actor might think twice about parachuting from.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
As the move reaches the final third, Dalot shoots from distance.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
As we leave the house, Bubbe reaches out for me and slips her arm through mine.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Prices doubled every day, goods vanished from shelves, and, at its worst, the monthly inflation rate reached 79 billion percent.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Even more strikingly, groups in which only 5 percent of the termites had initially encountered bistrifluron eventually reached 100 percent mortality by day 90.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Rios has not yet entered a plea and could not be reached for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Great Britain have not reached the knockout stage of the competition since 2023, and they will have to do so this time with an inexperienced team.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
But as he reached for the knob, he froze, struck with a realization.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Their lifetime is so short that any significant delay would prevent them from reaching the surface before they decay.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
On Friday, stocks hitting new lows outnumbered those reaching new highs 189 to 34 on the NYSE, according to FactSet data.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
There will be added frustration from this innings, though, as their openers started so brightly by reaching 55-0 from the first five overs.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Amy’s pitch, Chief Executive Paul Schiefer said, is tasty, healthy meals that can assuage people’s guilt about reaching for something quick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
I stared at my water for another second before reaching over to take a swig of Elliot’s.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
