v., reached, reach·ing, reach·es. v.tr.
- To stretch out or put forth (a body part); extend: reached out an arm.
- To touch or grasp by stretching out or extending: can't reach the shelf.
- To arrive at; attain: reached a conclusion; reached their destination.
- To succeed in getting in contact with or communicating with: They reached us by phone. Our newsletter reaches a specialized readership.
- To succeed in having an effect on: No one seems able to reach her anymore.
- To extend as far as: The property reaches the shore.
- To project as far as: A distant cry reached our ears.
- To travel as far as: a long fly ball that reached the stadium's wall.
- To aggregate or amount to: Sales reached the millions.
- Informal. To grasp and hand over to another: Reach me the sugar.
- To thrust out or extend something.
- To try to grasp or touch something: reached for a book.
- To have extension in space or time: a coat that reaches to the knee; a career that reached over several decades.
- To be extensive in influence or effect.
- To make an excessive effort, as in drawing a conclusion or making a joke; overreach.
- Nautical. To sail with the wind abeam.
- The act or an instance of stretching or thrusting out.
- The extent or distance something can reach.
- Range of understanding; comprehension: a subject beyond my reach.
- Range or scope of influence or effect.
- An expanse: a reach of prairie; the lower reaches of the food chain.
- A pole connecting the rear axle of a vehicle with the front.
- Nautical. The tack of a sailing vessel with the wind abeam.
- The stretch of water visible between bends in a river or channel.
[Middle English rechen, from Old English rǣcan.]
reachable reach'a·ble adj.reacher reach'er n.
SYNONYMS reach, achieve, attain, gain, compass. These verbs mean to succeed in arriving at a goal or objective. Reach is the least specific: reached home before dark; reach an understanding. Achieve suggests the application of skill or initiative: achieved national recognition. Attain implies the impelling force of ambition, principle, or ideals: trying to attain self-confidence. Gain connotes considerable effort in surmounting obstacles: gained the workers' trust. Compass implies succeeding by circumventing impediments: will compass the task. See also synonyms at range.





