I. ˈrēch verb
( reached ˈrēcht ; or dialect retch ˈrech ; or dialect chiefly British raught ˈrȯ(ḵ)t ; or dialect chiefly British rought “ ; reached or dialect chiefly British raught or dialect chiefly British rought ; reaching ; reaches )
Etymology: Middle English rechen (past raughte, rechede, past participle raught, yraught, reched, yreched ), from Old English rǣcan (past rǣhte, past participle gerǣht ); akin to Old High German reichen to reach, Old Norse reik parting of hair, Lithuanian ráižytis to stretch oneself repeatedly
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to stretch out : extend
reached out his hand to her
(2) : to put forth
a tree that reaches its branches over the wall
b. : thrust
reached his sword up and touched the mark
c. archaic
(1) : to strike, hit, or touch with a weapon
(2) : to aim or deliver (a blow) by stretching out the hand : deal
a sudden punch which he reached at the nose of his lordship — Henry Brooke
2.
a. obsolete : to get possession of especially by or as if by seizing and making off with
the hand of death hath raught him — Shakespeare
b.
(1) : to succeed in touching or grasping by or as if by stretching out the hand or some other part of the body or some other object
the shelf was too high for the little boy to reach it
probed about in the darkness with his foot and at last reached the bottom step
could not reach the bullet with the probe
(2) archaic : snatch
(3) : to pick up and draw toward one : take
reached a cup from the shelf
reached down his hat
c.
(1) : to stretch out as far as : extend to
by evening the shadow of the tree reached the wall
(2) : to arrive at : get up to or as far as : come to
can reach the gate by following this path
your letter has reached me
her voice was not strong enough to reach everyone in the auditorium
has reached middle age
: go as far as
has reached a new height of absurdity
a book that has now reached its third edition
: attain
spent his whole life trying to reach happiness
think we can reach an understanding by further discussion
(3) : to penetrate to
a telescope that reaches remote points in space
the news reached every part of the world
(4) : to succeed in getting or obtaining : acquire
reaching a profound knowledge of the subject
d.
(1) : to stretch out to and affect : cover , embrace
a situation that the law certainly reaches
(2) : to get into contact with (as intellectually or emotionally) and so influence
was not sure how she could reach a person with a background like that
: make an impression on
(3) : to get in touch with (as by correspondence, publication) : communicate with
reached him by phone at the office
you can reach me by addressing your letters to New York
could reach a vast audience with such a magazine
3. dialect chiefly England : to cause (as a piece of leather) to be stretched
4. : to take hold of and give : pass : hand over
reach me the catsup
5. archaic : to succeed in understanding : comprehend
some double sense that I reach not — P.B.Shelley
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to make a stretch (as in proceeding to grasp, touch, strike) in some direction with or as if with one's hand or some other part of the body : stretch out
reached for some money
stood on tiptoe and reached toward the book on the top shelf
reached for the stone with his foot
b.
(1) : to make a stretch of a particular length or extent
does not dare to reach after fame
(2) : to strain after something : make efforts
reaching above our nature does no good — John Dryden
2.
a. : to undergo continuous extension : become drawn out : project , extend
his land reaches to the river
power that reaches to every corner of the country
b. : to get up to or as far as something : arrive at something : come to something : penetrate , carry
the forest stretched as far as the eye could reach
3. dialect chiefly England : to become stretched : undergo stretching
4. : to sail on a reach
Synonyms:
gain , compass , achieve , attain : reach may be used in reference to any goal, point, or end arrived at
our team reached the finals
the wheat crop reached 500,000 tons
the automobile reached a speed of 120 miles per hour
the life boat reached land in the morning
Pictured Rocks, where the coloration reaches its greatest intensity — American Guide Series: Michigan
gain often but not always implies coming to a desired goal, vantage point, or advantage through effort or struggle
to gain the championship
gaining the presidency
gaining distinction by his research
gaining prestige
gaining success in his field
he gained the confidence of the mountain people by his understanding and sympathetic approach — F.T.Persons
compass may suggest gaining an end as by skillful resolution, crafty encirclement, circumvention, or extension
compassing almost equally with verse man's thought however sublime, his emotion however profound — A.T.Quiller-Couch
he certainly managed to compass the hardest thing that a man who has drunk heavily can do. He took his peg and wine at dinner; but he never drank alone, and never let what he drank have the least hold on him — Rudyard Kipling
achieve may imply skill, courage, persistence, or endurance in struggle or quest
in twenty-five years of unremitting toil, he had achieved a distinguished position — R.J.Wickenden
man will want consciously and desperately to achieve the consolation and create the beauty we have always called literature — C.F.Strauch
attain sometimes suggests a reaching to the extreme, the difficult, the unusual
an object, in its own nature so really and undeniably good, as to be the compensation of a great deal of thought in the compassing, and a great deal of trouble in the attaining — J.H.Newman
men had attained the stratosphere — Waldemar Kaempffert
its refinement of detail and subtle proportions, which attain an almost monumental quality — American Guide Series: Maine
II. noun
( -es )
1.
a.
(1) : the action or an act of reaching
made a reach for the nearest one
(2) : a single movement : an individual part of a progression or journey
arriving at the post after three reaches
b.
(1) : the particular distance or extent of reaching
if the shelf is lowered, a long reach won't be necessary
(2) : the particular distance over which or the extent to which one can reach
has a remarkable reach
this is within your reach
c. : power of comprehension or range of knowledge or thought
a mind of vast reach
2.
a. : a continuous unbroken stretch or expanse: as
(1) : an extended portion of water or land
(2) : a straight portion of a stream or river
(3) : a level stretch of water between locks in a canal
(4) : an arm of the sea extending up into the land
(5) : promontory
b. : a limited distance : a measured part
the narrow stairwell turned back upon itself in a succession of niggard reaches — William Faulkner
3. obsolete : design , scheme , plan
4.
a. : a bearing shaft or a coupling pole ; especially : the pole or rod joining the hind axle to the forward bolster of a wagon
b. : the sum of the hoist and the minimum distance between the hooks of a pulley tackle
c. : the length of the threaded portion of a bolt or spark plug
5. : the tack sailed by a ship with the wind coming just forward of the beam or with the wind directly abeam or abaft the beam
Synonyms: see range
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: probably from (assumed) Middle English rechen, from Old English hrǣcan; akin to Old English hrāca phlegm from the throat, Old Norse hrāki spittle, hrækja to hawk, spit, Lithuanian krėgéti to grunt, Latin crepare to crack, creak, break — more at raven
1. dialect chiefly England
a. : spit
b. : hawk
2. dialect chiefly England
a. : vomit
b. : retch