verb | noun
reachreach1 /ritʃ/ ●●● S1 W1 verb 1
RATE/LEVEL ETC. [transitive] if something reaches a particular rate, amount, degree, etc. it increases or decreases until it gets to that point: Temperatures are expected to reach the 80s today. Prices have reached record levels.2POINT IN PROCESS/TIME [transitive] to get to a particular point in a process or in time: After you reach a certain age, nobody wants to hire you.reach a point/level/stage etc. She’s reached a point where she’s earning a good salary.3TOUCH a)[intransitive always + adv./prep., transitive always + adv./prep.] to move your hand or arm in order to touch, hold, or pick up something: reach for/in/over etc. Paula reached up to touch the ceiling. She reached out her hand to pet the cat. b)[intransitive, transitive not in progressive] to manage to touch or pick up something by stretching out your arm: I can’t reach the top shelf. She managed to reach far enough to grab his hand.4SUCCEED [transitive] to succeed in doing something after discussing it or working on it for a period of time: reach a decision/agreement/result etc. After a long talk, we finally reached a decision.reach a goal/objective/aim How will you reach your retirement goals? It only took the jury two hours to reach a verdict (=make a decision in a court case).5LENGTH/HEIGHT [intransitive always + adv./prep., transitive not in progressive] to be big enough, long enough, or high enough to get to a particular point or level: The flood waters reached the second floor.reach down/up to something Her skirt reaches down to her ankles.reach as far as something The storm reached as far as the Rocky Mountains.THESAURUSgo – to reach as far as a particular place: The road only goes as far as the farmhouse.go up/down – to reach a particular level or height: During the drought, the water in the lake went down below the three foot level.come up/down to something – to reach a particular level or height: Alex is taller; he comes up to Pat’s shoulder now.extend – to reach a particular distance, or spread over a particular distance: The Appalachian Mountains extend from Alabama to Newfoundland.6SPEAK TO somebody [transitive] to speak to someone or leave a message for him or her, especially by telephone SYN contact: You can reach us at (555) 532-7864.► see thesaurus at communicate7ARRIVE [transitive] to arrive at a particular place, especially when it has taken a long time or a lot of effort to get there: We finally reached Chicago at midnight.8BE SEEN/HEARD BY somebody [transitive] if a message, television program, etc. reaches a lot of people, they hear it or see it: Cable TV reaches a huge audience.9INFORMATION [transitive] if information or a message reaches someone, he or she receives it: It took weeks for her letter to reach him.10COMMUNICATE [transitive] to succeed in making someone understand or accept what you tell him or her: I just can’t seem to reach him anymore.11reach for the stars to aim for something that is very difficult to achieve[Origin: Old English ræcan]USAGE: reach, arrive• You reach a place, especially when it has taken you a long time to get there: He reached Tokyo yesterday. Don’t say: He reached at/to Tokyo. You arrive at a particular place or building: When are they arriving at the airport?• You arrive in a country or a big city: They arrive in Tokyo tomorrow.• When you do not mention the place or when you use some adverbs, you do not use a preposition after arrive: Have they arrived yet? When will they arrive there/here/home?reach out to somebody phrasal verb1to show people that you are interested in them and want to listen to them or help them: Community workers were praised for reaching out to poor families.2to ask someone for help: He finally reached out to a cousin for help. verb | noun
reachreach2 ●●○ noun 1[singular, uncountable] the distance that you can stretch out your arm to touch something: a boxer with a long reachout of (somebody’s) reach/beyond (somebody’s) reach Keep all medicines out of children’s reach. The controls were all within easy reach (=easy to touch or use).2[singular] the limit of someone’s power, authority, or ability to do something: Large companies are extending their reach.beyond the reach of somebody/something Houses are priced beyond the reach of many families.within (somebody’s) reach Set goals that are within your reach. Winning the championship seemed out of reach.3within reach (of something) within a distance that you can easily travel: All the main tourist attractions are within easy reach of the hotel.4[countable usually plural] a straight part of a river between two bends: They traveled to the upper reaches of the Nile.5the upper/lower reaches of something the highest or lowest levels of an organization, group, or system: He had connections in the upper reaches of government.