reach

1 of 2

verb

reached; reaching; reaches

transitive verb

1
a
: to stretch out : extend
b
: thrust
2
a
: to touch or grasp by extending a part of the body (such as a hand) or an object
couldn't reach the apple
b
: to pick up and draw toward one : take
c(1)
: to extend to
the shadow reached the wall
(2)
: to get up to or as far as : come to
your letter reached me yesterday
his voice reached the last rows
they hoped to reach an agreement
d(1)
(2)
: to make an impression on
(3)
: to communicate with
3
: to hand over : pass

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make a stretch with or as if with one's hand
b
: to strain after something
2
a
: project, extend
his land reaches to the river
b
: to arrive at or come to something
as far as the eye could reach
3
: to sail on a reach
reachable adjective
reacher noun

reach

2 of 2

noun

1
: a continuous stretch or expanse
especially : a straight portion of a stream or river
2
a(1)
: the action or an act of reaching
(2)
: an individual part of a progression or journey
b(1)
: a reachable distance
within reach
(2)
: ability to reach
had a long reach
c
: an extent or range especially of knowledge or comprehension
3
: a bearing shaft or coupling pole
especially : the rod joining the hind axle to the forward bolster of a wagon
4
: the tack sailed by a ship with the wind coming just forward of the beam or with the wind directly abeam or abaft the beam
5
: echelon, level
usually used in plural
the upper reaches of academia

Examples of reach in a Sentence

Verb She couldn't reach the apple. She was too short. He couldn't reach the apple, even with a stick. She can't reach that far. We reached California after driving for two days. Their land reaches the river. Their land reaches to the river. The phone cord doesn't reach. Noun The ball was just out of reach. Their goal is out of reach. The country's farthest reaches had not been explored. the upper reaches of the business the upper reaches of the river
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In the 1980s, heavy metal reached a critical turning point. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Polio became a massive threat to public health in the 1940s and 1950s, with a per capita infection rate in the U.S. that reached 87.2 per 100,000 population in 1952, sending tens of thousands of children to the hospital and killing a half-million people per year worldwide during those decades. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 But last season, neither Stanford nor Utah, the regular season co-champions, even reached the title game. Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Arroyo hasn’t yet reached his potential because of a September 2022 knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of that season and for all but 47 snaps during the 2023 regular season. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 The bailiff reached over the witness stand to push the barrel toward the floor. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 In speed tests, the boat reached a top end of 38.7 mph, with a friendly cruise of 30.6 mph that delivered a 334-mile range. Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Rain totals for the week could reach 2 to 3 inches by Sunday. Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 Bloomberg New Energy Finance research found that in order for average global temperature increases to remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is optimum, the ratio of investments in low-carbon energy to fossil fuels needs to reach a minimum of 4 to 1 by 2030. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
But so far, collecting a paycheck in exchange for competing in their sport has remained out of reach. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 What would keep the goal of 1.5 degrees C out of reach is lack of political will, including support from the U.S. for international climate finance. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2024 Some of them may, in fact, come to the average solver quite naturally while shorter answers remain just out of reach. Sam Corbin, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 McClatchy, meanwhile, made just one 3-point basket — and that one came on a prayer bank shot when the game was out of reach in overtime. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 Nikki Haley rejected the idea of running for president on the No Labels third-party ticket as the Republican nomination moves further out of reach with every GOP primary loss. Nidia Cavazos, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 The photos are in color, which is relatively rare in Ham’s work, but coated with whitish wax to suggest remembrances both psychically and literally out of reach. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Lawn mowing startup GreenPal took advantage of this approach and gradually scaled its reach from its base in Nashville, Tennessee, to a wider area. Jessica Wong, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Yelling at officials and his own players with equal abandon, his howls can be heard in the upper reaches of any arena. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English rechen, from Old English rǣcan; akin to Old High German reichen to reach, Lithuanian raižytis to stretch oneself

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reach was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near reach

Cite this Entry

“Reach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reach. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reach

1 of 2 verb
1
: to stretch out : extend
reached out her arm
2
a
: to touch or move to touch or take by sticking out a part of the body (as the hand) or something held in the hand
couldn't reach the apple, even standing on tiptoes
reached for the catsup
b
: to extend or stretch to
their land reaches the river
c
: to get up to or as far as : come to
your letter reached me yesterday
tried to reach an agreement
d
: to communicate with
tried to reach you by phone
3
: hand entry 2 sense 2, pass
please reach me the salt
reachable adjective
reacher noun

reach

2 of 2 noun
1
: an unbroken stretch (as of a river)
2
a
: the action or an act of reaching
b
: the distance one can reach
kept it in easy reach
c
: ability to stretch so as to touch something
you have a long reach
d
: the ability to reach something as if by using the hands
a new car is beyond our reach right now

Legal Definition

reach

transitive verb
1
: to extend application to
2
: to obtain an interest in or possession of
unable to reach all the assets of the debtor
3
a
: to arrive at and consider
the justices did not reach that issue
b
: to amount to
did not reach a due process violation
reach noun
reachable adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on reach

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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