Basic+ Word of the Day: reach

reach (verb) past tense: reached

Can you reach the leaves?

Reach means ‘to stretch to touch something.’

• Minnie cannot reach the items on the top shelf.

Reach also means ‘to arrive at.’

• When you reach Chicago, try the deep dish pizza.
• The ship reached the port at noon.

Reach also means ‘to establish communication with.’

• After several attempts, Allison finally reached her uncle.

Don't confuse it with

Rich and reach sound similar, but the vowel is different. Rich means ‘having lots of money.’ Example: “The rich man has expensive clothes.”

Common uses

Out of reach literally means ‘beyond the distance that someone can touch,’ for example: “The knives were out of reach of the little boy.’ But figuratively it means ‘unattainable,’ for example: “The student realized that his goal to read every book in the library was out of reach.”

Did you know?

If you like American westerns you’ve heard the sheriff say to the bad guys, “Reach for the stars!” That means ‘put your hands up.’

In pop culture

Listen to Gloria Estefan sing “Reach.” Does this song make you feel hopeful?

There are other meanings of reach.