Webster's English Dictionary

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reach

1. reach \'re-ch\ \'re--ch*-b*l\ vb [ME rechen, fr. OE r-can; akin to 
   OHG reichen to]reach, Lith raizhachek>ytis to stretch oneself repeatedly 
   1a: to stretch out : EXTEND  1b: THRUST  obs  2a: to get by seizing  2b: to 
   touch or grasp by extending a part of the body (as a hand) or an ob ject 
   {~ed a cup from the shelf} 2c1: to extend to {the shadow ~ed the wall}  
   2c2: to arrive at {his letter ~ed me}  2c3: to go as far as : ATTAIN {try 
   to ~ happiness}  2d1: ENCOMPASS  2d2: to make an impression on  2d3: to 
   communicate with  3: to hand over : PASS  1a: to make a stretch with or as 
   if with one's hand  1b: to strain after something  2a: PROJECT, EXTEND  2b: 
   to arrive at or come to something {as far as the eye could ~> 3: to sail on 
   a reach may be used in reference to anything arrived at by any degree of 
   effort; GAIN implies some degree of struggle to reach; COMPASS implies 
   efforts to get around difficulties or transcend limitations; ACHIEVE may 
   imply skill, courage, or endurance as well as effort; ATTAIN suggests a 
   reaching to the extreme, the difficult, or the unusual - reach.able aj SYN 
   syn GAIN, COMPASS, ACHIEVE, ATTAIN: REACH 
2. reach n 1a1: the action or an act of reaching  1a2: an individual part 
   of a progression or journey  1b: the distance or extent of reaching or of 
   ability to reach  1c: COMPREHENSION, RANGE  2: a continuous unbroken 
   stretch or expanse; esp : a straight porti on of a stream or river 3: a 
   bearing shaft or coupling pole; esp : the rod joining the hind  axle to the 
   forward bolster of a wagon 4: 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