Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To stretch out or put forth (a body part); extend.
  • intransitive verb To touch or grasp by stretching out or extending.
  • intransitive verb To arrive at; attain.
  • intransitive verb To succeed in getting in contact with or communicating with.
  • intransitive verb To succeed in having an effect on.
  • intransitive verb To extend as far as.
  • intransitive verb To project as far as.
  • intransitive verb To travel as far as.
  • intransitive verb To aggregate or amount to.
  • intransitive verb Informal To grasp and hand over to another.
  • intransitive verb To extend or move a hand, arm, or other body part, especially when trying to touch or grasp something.
  • intransitive verb To have extension in space or time.
  • intransitive verb To have an influence or effect.
  • intransitive verb To make an effort to address the needs of a group or community. Often used with out:
  • intransitive verb Nautical To sail with the wind abeam.
  • noun The act or an instance of stretching or thrusting out.
  • noun The extent or distance something can reach.
  • noun Range of understanding; comprehension.
  • noun Range or scope of influence or effect: synonym: range.
  • noun An expanse of land or water, such as a stretch of water visible between bends in a river or channel.
  • noun A rank or level in a social group or organization.
  • noun A pole connecting the rear axle of a vehicle with the front.
  • noun Nautical The tack of a sailing vessel with the wind abeam.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • A variant of retch.
  • noun A continuous stretch or course; an uninterrupted line of extension or continuity: as, a reach of level ground; an inland reach of the sea; a reach of a river (a straight course between bends); a reach of a canal (the part between locks, having a uniform level).
  • noun Limit or scope of stretch or extension; power of reaching by the outstretched hand or any other agency; the act of or capacity for reaching: as, the reach of the arm; to be within one's reach, or within the reach of the law.
  • noun Effective extent or scope; range of capacity or ability; power of accomplishment; grasp; penetration; comprehension.
  • noun A reaching out for something; forecast in aim or purpose; a scheme of effort for some end.
  • noun The pole connecting the rear axle to the bolster of a wagon or other vehicle; a coupling-pole. See cut under hound, 7.
  • noun Nautical, the distance sailed between tacks: same as board, 13 .
  • noun An extended point of land; a promontory.
  • To hold or stretch forth; extend outward.
  • To deliver by or as if by the outstretched hand; hand out or over; extend out to.
  • To make a stretch to; bring into contact by or as if by stretching out the hand; attain to by something held or stretched out: as, to reach a book on a shelf; to reach an object with a cane.
  • To take, seize, or move by stretching out the hand, or by other effort.
  • To attain to by movement or progress; arrive at, physically or mentally; come or get to: as, to reach a port or destination; to reach high office or distinction; to reach a conclusion by study or by reasoning.
  • To extend to in continuity or scope; streteh or be prolonged so as to extend to, literally or figuratively: attain to contact with or action upon; penetrate to.
  • To come or get at; penetrate or obtain access to; extend cognizance, agency, or influence to: as, to reach a person through his vanity.
  • To attain to an understanding of; succeed in comprehending.
  • To stretch; have extent in course or direction; continue to or toward a term, limit, or conclusion.
  • To extend in amount or capacity; rise in quantity or number; amount; suffice: with to or unto.
  • To make a stretch to or toward something, as with the hand or by exertion; stretch forward or onward; make a straining effort: as, to reach out for an apple; to reach at or after gain.
  • To attain; arrive; get, as to a point, destination, or aim.
  • To turn; start forth.
  • Nautical, to sail with the wind free.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English rechen, from Old English rǣcan; see reig- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English rechen, from Old English rǣċan ("to reach"), from Proto-Germanic *raikijanan, from the Proto-Indo-European *rēigh- (“to stretch”). Cognate with Dutch reiken, German reichen.

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Examples

  • Some way out of the center but easily within reach is the Museo Muros (Avenida Vicente Guerrero 205, Colonia Lomas de Selva), which exhibits the contemporary art collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman.

    In Morelos, Cuernavaca springs eternal 2009

  • Some way out of the center but easily within reach is the Museo Muros (Avenida Vicente Guerrero 205, Colonia Lomas de Selva), which exhibits the contemporary art collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman.

    In Morelos, Cuernavaca springs eternal 2009

  • The phrase reach out means to reach out with your arm and try to grab something.

    Site Home tzink 2011

  • Media reach is a strong reason for the penetration of goods like cosmetics, mobile phones, etc., which are only used by the urban people.

    RURAL MARKETING ? A CRITICAL REVIEW « Technology Literacy Articles « Articles « Literacy News 2010

  • I'm just interested in what the long term reach is likely to be of shows like Dawn and Drew in 2 years or two.

    Dawn and Drew have over 100,000 Listeners Ben Barren 2006

  • I'm just interested in what the long term reach is likely to be of shows like Dawn and Drew in 2 years or two.

    Archive 2006-01-01 Ben Barren 2006

  • I fetched my little gun, though I rather begrudged the cartridge just then; and when it was out of what they call reach, I had the good luck to bring it down.

    The Romance of Isabel Lady Burton 2006

  • Using the information, Alexa can rank the website and can extrapolate comparing the number of toolbar users online with the total number of Web users online to give a rough idea of what they call the reach - the number of people per million surfers who will visit the site in a given day.

    November 30, 2003 Laban 2003

  • Using the information, Alexa can rank the website and can extrapolate comparing the number of toolbar users online with the total number of Web users online to give a rough idea of what they call the reach - the number of people per million surfers who will visit the site in a given day.

    UK Commentators Laban 2003

  • Using the information, Alexa can rank the website and can extrapolate comparing the number of toolbar users online with the total number of Web users online to give a rough idea of what they call the reach - the number of people per million surfers who will visit the site in a given day.

    Archive 2003-11-30 Laban 2003

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  • The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return.

    -Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)

    March 9, 2011

  • The long reaches that were like one and the same reach, monotonous bends that were exactly alike, slipped past the steamer with their multitude of secular trees looking patiently after this grimy fragment of another world, the forerunner of change, of conquest, of trade, of massacres, of blessings.

    -Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad

    March 20, 2011