reach

verb \ ˈrēch \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of reach

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) : encompass

(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

play \ˈrē-chə-bəl\ adjective

—

reacher

noun

See reach defined for English-language learners

See reach defined for kids

Examples of reach in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of reach from the Web

Cousins has played 535 career regular season games, the second-most of any player in NBA history without reaching the postseason.

— william guillory, NOLA.com, "Pelicans are in the playoffs: Here's everything you need to know," 10 Apr. 2018
Chapman and Weinstein have not filed in court, despite reaching a settlement.

— ale russian, PEOPLE.com, "Georgina Chapman Seen Leaving the N.Y.C. House She Used to Share with Harvey Weinstein," 10 Apr. 2018
Carrying a 3-0 aggregate lead into the second leg, Liverpool heads to Manchester City one result away from reaching the final four on Europe's top stage.

— avi creditor, SI.com, "LIVE: Liverpool Aims to Finish Off Man City in Champions League Quarterfinals," 10 Apr. 2018
Bregman's strikeout numbers are not alarming — just five in 49 plate appearances — but his recent flyball propensity does not lend itself to reaching for pitches outside of the zone.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' Alex Bregman works through batting issues," 10 Apr. 2018
High school graduation rates edged up by a half a percentage point statewide in 2017, reaching a record high of 87.9 percent, state officials said Monday.

— kathleen megan, courant.com, "State High School Graduation Rates Up A Fraction To New Record High," 9 Apr. 2018
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO says his companies' upgraded hyperloop transportation pod will undergo a test soon — with the aim of reaching half the speed of sound and then braking in less than a mile.

— kevin mccoy, USA TODAY, "Tech billionaire Elon Musk plans hyperloop high-speed acceleration and braking test," 8 Apr. 2018
With rookie Malik Monk reaching 20 points for the third consecutive game, the Hornets finished out their home schedule with a 123-117 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte Hornets’ defense hard to find in home finale loss to Indiana Pacers," 8 Apr. 2018
Alas, the chances of reaching such a sensible accommodation with China’s airlines are low.

— The Economist, "Chinese aviation takes off," 7 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reach.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of reach

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

affect, impact, impress, influence, move, strike, sway, tell (on), touch;

Near Antonyms

bore, jade, pall, tire, weary;

underwhelm;

bias, color;

inspire, stir;

engage, interest, involve, penetrate, pierce;

afflict, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, wring;

allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate;

Phrases

get to;

reach

noun

Definition of reach

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

See reach defined for English-language learners

Examples of reach in a Sentence

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 of reach from the Web

Now, Uber is announcing a pair of moves that expand its reach to two more forms of transport.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "Uber's New Bid for Dominance: Controlling Every Way You Move," 11 Apr. 2018
With Ikea and Topgolf building their first West Valley locations in the surrounding area, the entertainment district's reach has never been longer.

— perry vandell, azcentral, "Glendale's Westgate Entertainment District is up for sale, but what does it mean for you?," 10 Apr. 2018
All those delicious French words for simmering: mijoter, to murmur; frémir, to shiver; mitonner, to cook quietly, were out of my reach.

— julia moskin, charlotteobserver, "The art of the beef stew | Charlotte Observer," 10 Apr. 2018
Yet its flagship university is free to extend its reach, and gobble up the Mount Ida campus.

— adrian walker, BostonGlobe.com, "A UMass Boston institute that studies war’s effects is fighting to survive budget cuts," 10 Apr. 2018
Uber's move to acquire Jump signals the company's willingness to continue to expand its reach beyond its core ride-hailing services.

— washington post, latimes.com, "Uber buys Jump Bikes and enters the electric bike sharing business," 9 Apr. 2018
The map below shows exactly how far this reach is: The FCC doesn’t allow companies to reach more than 39 percent of households.

— alvin chang, Vox, "Sinclair, the pro-Trump TV company, is about to become bigger. This map shows just how big.," 6 Apr. 2018
The $1 million round will help Lumanu expand its reach to more brands in beauty, fashion, hospitality and consumer packaged goods.

— sarah hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Influencer marketing startup Lumanu raises $1 million, aims to help brands track results," 3 Apr. 2018
But when nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults get at least some of their news from social media, the potential reach of bad actors is incalculable.

— kathleen parker | opinion, Anchorage Daily News, "Invasion of the Russian election bots," 15 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of reach

14th century

See Words from the same year

in the meaning defined at sense 1

NEW! Time Traveler

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

amplitude, breadth, compass, confines, dimension(s), extent, range, realm, scope, sweep, width;

Related Words

gamut, spectrum, spread;

bailiwick, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, field, province, region, specialty, sphere, terrain;

frontier;

horizon, panorama;

Other Vehicles Terms

brougham, hansom, litter, shay, skid, sledge, sulky, wain

REACH Defined for English Language Learners

reach

verb

Definition of reach for English Language Learners

: to be able to touch, pick up, or grab (something) by moving or stretching
: to move or stretch (your hand, arm, etc.) when you are trying to touch or grab something
: to arrive at (a place that you have been traveling to)

reach

noun

Definition of reach for English Language Learners

: the distance that you can stretch your arm to touch, pick up, or grab something
: the ability or power of someone or something to do, achieve, or control something
reaches : the parts of an area that are a long way from the center

REACH Defined for Kids

reach

verb \ ˈrēch \

Definition of reach for Students

reached; reaching

1 : to extend the arm far enough to touch or grab

I can't reach the top shelf.

2 : to arrive at : come

We should reach the border before noon.

3 : to extend or stretch to

Their land reaches the river.

4 : to communicate with

I tried to reach you by phone.

5 : to grow, develop, or increase

The temperature reached a record high.

Synonym Discussion of reach

reach, gain, and achieve mean to arrive at a point or end by work or effort. reach is used for arriving at something or some place by any amount of effort.

- They reached the city after many days.

gain is used of a struggle to arrive at a goal.

- The slaves gained their freedom.

achieve is used when skill or courage is involved.

- The artist achieved greatness.

reach

noun

Definition of reach for Students

1 : the distance within which something can be touched or grabbed Keep matches out of the reach of children.

2 : the act of stretching especially to take hold of something

Make a reach for my hand.

3 : the probability that something can be achieved

Success is within reach.

4 : an unbroken stretch (as of a river)

5 : ability to stretch (as an arm) so as to touch something

She has a long reach.

Law Dictionary

reach

transitive verb

legal Definition of reach

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

Learn More about reach

See words that rhyme with reach Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reach Spanish Central: Translation of reach Nglish: Translation of reach for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reach for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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reach

Definition of reach

reachable

reacher

Examples of reach in a Sentence

Recent Examples of reach from the Web

Origin and Etymology of reach

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

reach

Definition of reach

Examples of reach in a Sentence

Recent Examples of reach from the Web

First Known Use of reach

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Vehicles Terms

REACH Defined for English Language Learners

reach

Definition of reach for English Language Learners

reach

Definition of reach for English Language Learners

REACH Defined for Kids

reach

Definition of reach for Students

Synonym Discussion of reach

reach

Definition of reach for Students

Law Dictionary

reach

legal Definition of reach

reach

reachable

Learn More about reach

Seen and Heard

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