Definition

1. Noun:

   • The act of stretching out or extending an arm or hand: The physical movement of extending a limb to touch or grasp something.
   • The extent or distance something can be stretched or attained: The limit to which one's power, influence, or physical capability extends.
   • A continuous stretch or expanse: A straight, unbroken section, especially of a river or waterway between bends.

2. Verb:

   • To stretch out an arm or hand to touch or grasp something: To extend a part of the body, especially the hand.
   • To arrive at or attain a destination, point, or level: To succeed in getting to a particular place, state, or amount.
   • To make contact or communicate with someone: To succeed in establishing a connection or getting a message to someone.
   • To extend or continue over a specified distance or area: To cover or spread across a space.

Examples

• Noun:

  • He has a long reach, which helps him in basketball.
  • Keep the medicine out of the reach of children.
  • We sailed along a beautiful reach of the river.

• Verb:

  • Can you reach the top shelf?
  • The train reaches the station at noon.
  • I tried to reach her by phone all day.
  • The forest reaches down to the shore.

Advanced Usage

• "within reach": Close enough to be attained or accessed.
  • Success is finally within reach.
• "beyond/out of reach": Too far away or difficult to be attained or accessed.
  • The price of the house is beyond our reach.
• "reach an agreement/decision": To succeed in making a mutual decision or settlement.
  • The two companies reached an agreement after long negotiations.

Variants and Related Words

• Reachable (adj): Able to be reached or contacted.
  • The village is only reachable by boat.
• Far-reaching (adj): Having a wide range, influence, or effect.
  • The new law will have far-reaching consequences.
• Overreach (v): To try to do more than you are capable of, or to extend beyond a proper limit.
  • The company overreached itself with its ambitious expansion plans.

Synonyms

• Attain: To succeed in achieving something.
• Achieve: To successfully bring about or reach a desired objective.
• Extend: To cause to cover a larger area; to stretch out.
• Contact: To communicate with someone.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Reach out (to someone): To try to communicate with someone, especially to offer help or support.
  • The charity reaches out to homeless people.
• Reach for something: To stretch your arm or hand to try to get something.
  • He reached for his wallet.
• Reach back: To think back to or remember something from the past.
  • My memory reaches back to when I was three years old.

Related Idioms

• Reach for the stars: To set very high goals or ambitions.
  • She encouraged her students to reach for the stars.
• Reach a boiling point: To reach a stage where a situation becomes very tense or critical.
  • Tensions in the region have reached a boiling point.

Noun

1. the limit of capability
   • within the compass of education
2. the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
3. an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
   • a piano has a greater range than the human voice
   • the ambit of municipal legislation
   • within the compass of this article
   • within the scope of an investigation
   • outside the reach of the law
   • in the political orbit of a world power
4. the limits within which something can be effective
   • range of motion
   • he was beyond the reach of their fire

Verb

1. to exert much effort or energy
   • straining our ears to hear
2. place into the hands or custody of
   • hand me the spoon, please
   • Turn the files over to me, please
   • He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers
3. reach a goal, e.g., "make the first team"
   • We made it!
   • She may not make the grade
4. to extend as far as
   • The sunlight reached the wall
   • Can he reach? The chair must not touch the wall
5. to gain with effort
   • she achieved her goal despite setbacks
6. be in or establish communication with
   • Our advertisements reach millions
   • He never contacted his children after he emigrated to Australia
7. move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense
   • Government reaches out to the people
8. reach a point in time, or a certain state or level
   • The thermometer hit 100 degrees
   • This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour
9. reach a destination, either real or abstract
   • We hit Detroit by noon
   • The water reached the doorstep
   • We barely made it to the finish line
   • I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts