reach Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the limits within which something can be effective
    range.
    • range of motion
    • he was beyond the reach of their fire
  2. noun an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
    ambit; orbit; range; compass; scope.
    • 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
  3. noun the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
    stretch; reaching.
  4. noun the limit of capability
    grasp; range; compass.
    • within the compass of education
  5. verb reach a destination, either real or abstract
    hit; make; attain; arrive at; gain.
    • 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
  6. verb reach a point in time, or a certain state or level
    hit; attain.
    • The thermometer hit 100 degrees
    • This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour
  7. verb move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense
    reach out.
    • Government reaches out to the people
  8. verb be in or establish communication with
    get through; contact; get hold of.
    • Our advertisements reach millions
    • He never contacted his children after he emigrated to Australia
  9. verb to gain with effort
    accomplish; attain; achieve.
    • she achieved her goal despite setbacks
  10. verb to extend as far as
    touch; extend to.
    • The sunlight reached the wall
    • Can he reach?" "The chair must not touch the wall
  11. verb reach a goal, e.g., "make the first team"
    progress to; make; get to.
    • We made it!
    • She may not make the grade
  12. verb place into the hands or custody of
    give; turn over; hand; pass; pass on.
    • hand me the spoon, please
    • Turn the files over to me, please
    • He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers
  13. verb to exert much effort or energy
    strain; strive.
    • straining our ears to hear

WordNet


Reach noun
Definitions
  1. An effort to vomit. R.
Reach transitive verb
Etymology
OE. rechen, AS. r&aemac;can, r&aemac;cean, to extend, stretch out; akin to D. reiken, G. reichen, and possibly to AS. rice powerful, rich, E. rich.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Reached (Raught, the old preterit, is obsolete); present participle & verbal noun Reaching
Definitions
  1. To extend; to stretch; to thrust out; to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like.
    Her tresses yellow, and long straughten, Unto her heeles down they raughten. Rom. of R.
    Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side. John xx. 27.
    Fruit trees, over woody, reached too far Their pampered boughs. Milton.
  2. Hence, to deliver by stretching out a member, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another; to hand over; as, to reach one a book.
    He reached me a full cap. 2 Esd. xiv. 39.
  3. To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; too extend some part of the body, or something held by one, so as to touch, strike, grasp, or the like; as, to reach an object with the hand, or with a spear.
    O patron power, . . . thy present aid afford, Than I may reach the beast. Dryden.
  4. To strike, hit, or tough with a missile; as, to reach an object with an arrow, a bullet, or a shell.
  5. Hence, to extend an action, effort, or influence to; to penetrate to; to pierce, or cut, as far as.
    If these examples of grown men reach not the case of children, let them examine. Locke.
  6. To extend to; to stretch out as far as; to touch by virtue of extent; as, his hand reaches the river.
    Thy desire . . . leads to no excess That reaches blame. Milton.
  7. To arrive at by effort of any kind; to attain to; to gain; to be advanced to.
    The best account of the appearances of nature which human penetration can reach, comes short of its reality. Cheyne.
  8. To understand; to comprehend. Obs.
    Do what, sir? I reach you not. Beau. & Fl.
  9. To overreach; to deceive. Obs. South.
Reach transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To stretch out the hand.
    Goddess humane, reach, then, and freely taste! Milton.
  2. To strain after something; to make efforts.
    Reaching above our nature does no good. Dryden.
  3. To extend in dimension, time, amount, action, influence, etc., so as to touch, attain to, or be equal to, something.
    And behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. Gen. xxviii. 12.
    The new world reaches quite across the torrid zone. Boyle.
  4. (Naut.) To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the ind nearly abeam.
    He would be in the mind reaching after a positive idea of infinity. Locke.
Reach noun
Definitions
  1. The act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown; as, the fruit is beyond my reach; to be within reach of cannon shot.
  2. The power of stretching out or extending action, influence, or the like; power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity.
    Drawn by others who had deeper reaches than themselves to matters which they least intended. Hayward.
    Be sure yourself and your own reach to know. Pope.
  3. Extent; stretch; expanse; hence, application; influence; result; scope.
    And on the left hand, hell, With long reach, interposed. Milton.
    I am to pray you not to strain my speech To grosser issues, nor to larger reach Than to suspicion. Shak.
  4. An extended portion of land or water; a stretch; a straight portion of a stream or river, as from one turn to another; a level stretch, as between locks in a canal; an arm of the sea extending up into the land. "The river's wooded reach." Tennyson.
    The coast . . . is very full of creeks and reaches. Holland.
  5. An article to obtain an advantage.
    The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own underhand to cross the design. Bacon.
  6. The pole or rod which connects the hind axle with the forward bolster of a wagon.

Webster 1913