Reach
verbTo arrive at a place, point, or level, or to stretch out so as to touch or grasp something.
How to spell reach
5 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce reach
What does reach mean?
- verbTo arrive at a place, point, or level, or to stretch out so as to touch or grasp something.
- nounThe distance or extent that someone or something can stretch, travel, or influence.
Reach in a sentence
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verb
The climbers expected to reach the summit before noon.
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noun
The remote control was just out of his reach on the table.
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verb
She had to stand on a stool to reach the top shelf.
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noun
The new campaign greatly expanded the brand's reach among younger buyers.
Where does reach come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
Reach comes from the Old English verb ræcan, which meant 'to stretch out, to extend the hand, or to hand something over'. This in turn grew from a Proto-Germanic root reflected in the Dutch reiken and the German reichen, both still meaning 'to hand or pass something'. The earliest English sense was very physical: stretching the arm or body to touch or grasp something just beyond easy distance. From that bodily image the meaning naturally widened to cover arriving at a place after travel, getting in contact with a person, and attaining a goal or figure. The spelling is reassuringly regular, with the long 'ee' sound written 'ea' as in 'teach' and 'beach', so it rarely troubles writers.
How the word is built
- reach (from Old English ræcan: to stretch out, extend)
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