INDEX:
1. when something is long or high enough to reach something
2. when a number or amount reaches a particular level
3. when someone can reach something
4. to reach a place that you are travelling to
5. a place that is difficult or impossible to reach
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ TRAVEL
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1. when something is long or high enough to reach something
▷ go (out/up/over etc) to something also go as far as something /gəʊ ˈaʊt tə something, gəʊ əz ˈfɑːr əz something/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be long enough to reach a particular point :
▪ I want a rug that goes right to the edge of the room.
▪ You’ll have to move the television a little this way. The plug won’t go as far as the wall from there.
go all the way to something also go right the way to something
British
▪ The fence went all the way over to the other side of the park.
▷ reach /riːtʃ/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in progressive]
to be long enough, high enough, or deep enough to get to a particular place or point :
▪ It won’t work - the ladder won’t reach.
▪ The snow almost reached my knees.
▪ You see, the paint doesn’t quite reach the edge of the paper.
reach as far as/down to etc
▪ I don’t think these curtains will reach down to the floor.
▷ go up to /ˌgəʊ ˈʌp tuː/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be high enough to reach as far as a particular point :
▪ She was wearing grey socks that went right up to her knees.
▪ After the flood, the water level in the river almost went up to the top of the dam.
go all the way up to something also go right the way up to something
British reach the whole distance to something
▪ The Christmas tree went all the way up to the ceiling.
▷ go down to /ˌgəʊ ˈdaʊn tuː/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be long enough to reach down as far as a particular point :
▪ The rope went down to the bottom of the cliff.
▪ She had long blonde hair that went down to her waist.
go all the way down to something also go right the way down to something
British reach a long way down
▪ The scar on his face went from his eye all the way down to his chin.
▷ come up to /ˌkʌm ˈʌp tuː/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to reach up to a part of the body such as the knee, neck, or shoulder :
▪ In the shallow end of the pool, the water comes up to my waist.
▪ Freddie’s been growing so fast - he already comes up to my shoulder.
▷ come down to /ˌkʌm ˈdaʊn tuː/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
if a piece of clothing comes down to a part of your body such as your elbows, waist, or knees, it is long enough to reach that part :
▪ I can’t wear this sweater - it almost comes down to my knees!
▪ If you go into a mosque, you should wear sleeves that at least come down to your elbows.
▷ stretch /stretʃ/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
if something such as a river, road, or area of land stretches to a particular place, it reaches that place :
stretch down to
▪ We followed a small track that stretched down to the sea.
stretch as far as
▪ We could see the mountains stretching as far as Vermont.
stretch from something to something
▪ Today, just 5% remains of the original wooded land that stretched from the Atlantic to the Mississippi.
stretch all the way to something also stretch right the way to something
British
▪ The oil slick stretched all the way to the horizon.
stretch into the distance/stretch as far as the eye can see
continue as far as you can see into the distance
▪ There were poppy fields stretching as far as the eye could see.
▷ extend /ɪkˈstend/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
if something such as a river or area of land extends as far as a particular place, it reaches that place - use this especially in technical writing, descriptions etc: :
extend as far as/to etc
▪ The River Nile extends as far as Lake Victoria.
▪ Smith Point is a small piece of land extending a hundred yards or so into the water.
extend all the way from something to something also extend right the way from something to something
British
▪ The Soviet Union extended all the way from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
2. when a number or amount reaches a particular level
▷ reach /riːtʃ/ [transitive verb]
if a number or amount reaches a particular level, it increases or decreases until it gets to that level :
▪ Gold prices have reached their lowest level in 15 years.
reach $500/100 mph etc
▪ Wind speeds reached over 100 mph in coastal districts.
▪ The value of most houses in this area has reached over £200,000.
reach a peak
reach the highest level
▪ Inflation continued to rise, reaching a peak of 28%.
▷ hit /hɪt/ [transitive verb]
to reach a very high or a very low level :
▪ The temperature hit 40°C in parts of the country yesterday.
▪ If sales continue to increase, output may hit the 500,000 mark this year.
hit rock bottom
reach an extremely low level
▪ Analysts say that the value of the Euro could hit rock bottom in the next few months.
hit an all-time low/high
reach the lowest or highest level ever
▪ As oil production increased, prices hit an all-time low.
▷ attain /əˈteɪn/ [transitive verb]
to reach a high level - use this in formal or technical contexts :
attain a height/speed etc of something
▪ When migrating, birds may attain a height of three thousand metres or more.
▪ The latest model is capable of attaining speeds in excess of 300 kph.
attain a high of something
▪ Share prices attained a high of $3.27.
▷ touch /tʌtʃ/ [transitive verb]
to reach a high or a low level for a very short time :
▪ The plane touched the speed of sound in a power dive.
touch a high of something
▪ Yesterday, the dollar touched a seventeen-week high of 1.4748 marks.
3. when someone can reach something
▷ reach /riːtʃ/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in progressive]
to be able to touch something or take hold of it, by stretching your arm or moving your body :
▪ Can you get that book down for me? I can’t reach.
▪ There’s no point in having a shelf so high that you can’t reach it.
▷ get to /ˈget tuː/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be able to reach something that you need by stretching your arm, moving your body etc, especially after you have been hurt :
▪ She had fallen and broken her ankle and couldn’t get to the phone.
▪ Can you get to your coffee, if I put it here?
4. to reach a place that you are travelling to
▷ reach /riːtʃ/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to arrive at a place, especially after a long or difficult journey :
▪ We didn’t reach the hotel until midnight.
▪ Some letters are taking up to two weeks to reach their destination.
▪ In winter, parts of Northern Canada can only be reached by plane.
▷ get /get/ [intransitive verb not in progressive] especially spoken
if you get to a place, you reach it :
get to
▪ By the time we got to New York, it was snowing.
get home/here/there
▪ What time did you get home last night?
get as far as
▪ We only got as far as the end of the road, then the car broke down.
▷ make it /ˈmeɪk ɪt/ [verb phrase not in progressive] especially spoken
to arrive at a place, especially when you were not sure that you would be able to get there :
▪ The roads were so bad that I wasn’t sure we would make it.
▪ If we run, we should be able to make it before the bus leaves.
make it to/across/home etc
▪ Even though he couldn’t swim, he managed to make it to the riverbank.
▪ Thousands of refugees made it across the border.
▷ make /meɪk/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to succeed in reaching a place, especially by a particular time :
▪ We’ll be lucky if we make San Fernando by nightfall.
▪ The team aimed to make the South Pole and back in a month.
▷ get through /ˌget ˈθruː/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to succeed in reaching a particular place, after much danger and difficulty :
▪ Heavy rains have prevented food supplies from getting through.
get through to
▪ Rescue teams finally got through to the survivors by digging a tunnel.
▷ accessible /əkˈsesɪb ə l, əkˈsesəb ə l/ [adjective]
easily reached, especially by car, boat, plane etc :
easily accessible
▪ We chose to live in this area because both New York and Boston are easily accessible from here.
▪ The banks of the River Holbeck are easily accessible to walkers and anglers.
accessible by boat/plane etc
▪ Because of the snow, many parts of the countryside are only accessible by helicopter.
5. a place that is difficult or impossible to reach
▷ inaccessible /ˌɪnəkˈsesɪb ə l, ˌɪnəkˈsesəb ə l/ [adjective]
impossible to reach :
▪ The country consists mainly of dense jungles and inaccessible mountain ranges.
inaccessible to
▪ The bathroom is situated at the top of a flight of stairs, making it inaccessible to the disabled.