reach

play

verb \ ˈrēch \

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

At its worst, from Sunday into Monday, some 75,000 calls poured in, more than eight times the normal 24-hour load, and those dialing sometimes endured long waits to reach an operator.

— matt sedensky, The Seattle Times, "‘Hell’s breaking loose’: A 911 center under siege by Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
Reaching out for help on social media was atypical response.

— meredith colias, Post-Tribune, "Northwest Indiana rescue shelters to send volunteers, supplies for pets affected by Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
Outflows reached 433 billion rubles in June and July as the Bank of Russia’s ongoing cleanup of the financial sector made Otkritie’s clients nervous.

— jake rudnitsky, Bloomberg.com, "Why Russia's Biggest Private Bank Needed a Rescue: QuickTake Q&A," 29 Aug. 2017
A bayou behind the building overflowed and reached school grounds, Ms. Kotecki said.

— dana goldstein, New York Times, "School Closings From Harvey Threaten Disruption Across Texas," 29 Aug. 2017
On only eight other times has the official reading failed to reach 70 on this date.

— anthony r. wood, Philly.com, "Not Harvey, but flood advisory, rare chill from no-name storm," 29 Aug. 2017
Reaching the sales mark triggers a phase-out period in which, two calendar quarters later, buyers can still claim 50 percent of the credit for two quarters, and then 25 percent for vehicles delivered for two quarters after that.

— bengt halvorson, Car and Driver, "Price of Success: Tesla Model 3 Buyers Might Not Get Full EV Tax Credit," 29 Aug. 2017
DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.

— david laurell, Burbank Leader, "On the Town: Disney lends a hand to Burbank Temporary Aid Center for a new van," 28 Aug. 2017
Please Don't drive into high water — John Paul Jones (@KCKFireChief) August 27, 2017 Residents near Miami Avenue and Pyle Street waded through knee-deep water that reached close to the front doors of homes.

— robert a. cronkleton and allison long, kansascity, "Downpours from Sunday storms cause flooding in KCK, Merriam neighborhoods," 27 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

buck, hand, hand over, pass, transfer

Related Words

relay; bear, carry; finger, handle, paw; cede, deliver, give, give up, release, relinquish, render, surrender, turn over, yield

Near Antonyms

bore, jade, pall, tire, weary; underwhelm

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

Once the county transportation division moves forward with the expansion of Weiland Road, the junior high school will need a new traffic signal with a higher reach and longer arm to cover four lanes.

— ronnie wachter, chicagotribune.com, "School District 102 considering traffic upgrades near Aptakisic Junior High school," 18 Aug. 2017
Reach reporter Thomas Novelly at 502-582-4465 or by email at tnovelly@courier-journal.com.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "White nationalist: Removing Lexington's Confederate statues is 'an act of genocide'," 16 Aug. 2017
However, the Washington Post reported this claim overstated the reach of the bill, which only applies to a small, specific group of immigrants and programs.

— politifact, Teen Vogue, "4 Times Trump and His Cabinet Have Lied About Immigration," 16 Aug. 2017
The nearly-vertical park is now fenced-off, a tantalizing and out-of-reach spot of green in a vast expanse of concrete.

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "Angels Flight Deserves a More Uplifting Home," 31 July 2017
Khashakyan, at 5 foot 8, was shorter and had a two-inch reach disadvantage against the lanky 5-11 O’Malley.

— grant gordon, Glendale News-Press, "Khashakyan KO'd by O'Malley in Tuesday Night Contender Series," 18 July 2017
But the price tag — more than $100 in some suburban communities — has put it increasingly out of reach for many families.

— annysa johnson, USA TODAY, "American Red Cross babysitting classes too pricey for some families," 5 July 2017
These many technical hurdles are part of the reason why experts often place a 2020 timetable on an actual ICBM test, a top-to-bottom demonstration of the global reach of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "North Korea's Missile Test: What We Know, and What We Don't," 5 July 2017
Indoor dining chairs, Wishbone by Hans Wegner—Design Within Reach; dwr.com.

— House Beautiful, "July/August 2017 Product Guide," 3 July 2017

First Known Use of reach

14th century

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

breadth, distance, expansion, extent, field, length, plain, expanse, sheet, spread, stretch, waste

Related Words

domain, sphere, territory; compass, range, scope, sweep; gamut, scale, spectrum; depth, emptiness, void; extension, latitude, span; amplitude, immensity, magnitude

Other Vehicles Terms

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

REACH Defined for English Language Learners

reach

play

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

play

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

What made you want to look up reach? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

reach

Definition of reach

reachable

reacher

From the M-W Editors

Examples of reach in a Sentence

Recent Examples of reach from the Web

Origin and Etymology of reach

reach Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066