reach

1 of 2

verb

ˈrēch

reached; reaching; reaches

Synonyms of reach next

transitive verb

: to stretch out : extend

: thrust

: to touch or grasp by extending a part of the body (such as a hand) or an object

couldn't reach the apple

: 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

: to hand over : pass

intransitive verb

: to make a stretch with or as if with one's hand

: to strain after something

: project, extend

his land reaches to the river

: to arrive at or come to something

as far as the eye could reach

: to sail on a reach

reachable

ˈrē-chə-bəl

adjective

reacher noun

reach

2 of 2

noun

: a continuous stretch or expanse

especially : a straight portion of a stream or river

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

: an extent or range especially of knowledge or comprehension

: a bearing shaft or coupling pole

especially : the rod joining the hind axle to the forward bolster of a wagon

: 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

: echelon, level

—usually used in plural

the upper reaches of academia

Example Sentences

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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Police said family members grew concerned for her welfare after being unable to reach her for several days. —

Marissa J. Lang, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2023 Instead of targeting certain areas — even after its expansion, Safe Streets still covered only 2.6 of the city’s 92 square miles — Roca focussed on some of the hardest-to-reach young men between the ages of 16 and 24, drawn from across the city. —

Alec Macgillis, ProPublica, 30 Jan. 2023 The Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals are locked in a battle to reach Super Bowl 57. —

Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2023 Even if a computer’s speed could reach the physical limit, computational hurdles remain due to the limits of algorithms. —

Jie Wang, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2023 Many were injured when the roof came down, according to Zafar Khan, a police officer, and rescuers had to remove mounds of debris to reach worshippers still trapped under the rubble. —

Riaz Khan, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Jan. 2023 Trade between Russia and China rose by roughly $27 billion between March and September of last year compared with the same period in 2021, according to the report, to reach $99 billion. —

Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 30 Jan. 2023 Speaking about challenges to the security of the Russian Federation, President Putin noted that if Ukraine joined NATO the potential deployment of NATO or American missiles near our borders would mean that any missile would reach Moscow in minutes. —

Karla Adam, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Jan. 2023 Applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program are projected to reach their highest level in more a decade, Wolfe said. —

Tami Luhby, CNN, 30 Jan. 2023

Noun

One practice that has always seemed out of reach for me is meditation, specifically quieting the mind. —

Fortune Editors, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2023 Home sales cratered as higher borrowing costs combined with years of rising home prices pushed homeownership out of reach for many Americans, especially first-time buyers. —

Alex Veiga, ajc, 26 Jan. 2023 Browder wants to arm individuals with the same tools that large corporations can typically access, but are out of reach for those without deep resources. —

Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2023 That has put home purchases out of reach for many would-be buyers. —

Ben Eisen, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2023 Meanwhile, investors bought nearly a quarter of U.S. single-family homes that sold in 2021, according to reporting by Pew, putting homeownership out of reach for many families in the U.S. —

Ana Faguy, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 And finally, EVs remain expensive, often out of reach for lower-income drivers. —

WIRED, 23 Jan. 2023 To maintain dominance in the Pacific—to just keep its ships afloat—the Navy is going all in on a new technology that has remained out of reach for decades: the laser. —

Alex Hollings, Popular Mechanics, 13 Jan. 2023 Rising interest rates, inflation and a potential recession could push prices out of reach for Americans and limit demand for vehicles, the survey said. —

Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 12 Jan. 2023 See More

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.