reach

/riːtʃ/

to extend or stretch out

She reached for the book on the top shelf.

She extended her arm to grab the book.

general

to extend one's hand or arm to touch or grasp something

He reached into his pocket to get his keys.

He extended his hand into his pocket to retrieve his keys.

Commonly used to describe physical movement to obtain or touch something.

general

to arrive at a destination or goal

We finally reached the summit after hours of climbing.

We arrived at the top of the mountain after a long climb.

Often used to describe the completion of a journey or task.

general

to extend in influence, effect, or scope

The policy reached every corner of the country.

The policy affected every part of the country.

Used metaphorically to describe the extent of something's impact.

Collocations

reach outto extend one's hand or communicatereach forto attempt to grasp or obtain somethingreach a pointto arrive at a specific stage or condition

close enough to be obtained or achieved

too far to be obtained or achieved

Be mindful of the context to determine if 'reach' is used literally (physical movement) or metaphorically (achieving goals).

Use 'reach for' when attempting to grasp something and 'reach out' when extending a hand or communicating.

Old English 'rǣcan', from Proto-Germanic 'raikijaną', meaning 'to stretch out'.

Can be used both literally (physical movement) and metaphorically (achieving goals or extending influence).

reach

to extend or stretch out

root

English Dictionary