Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Reach?

\Reach\, n. An effort to vomit. [R.]
\Reach\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Reached}({Raught}, the old preterit, is obsolete); p. pr. & vb. n. {Reaching}.] [OE. rechen, AS. r[=ae]can, r[=ae]cean, to extend, stretch out; akin to D. reiken, G. reichen, and possibly to AS. r[=i]ce powerful, rich, E. rich. [root]115.] 1. To extend; to stretch; to thrust out; to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like. Her tresses yellow, and long straughten, Unto her heeles down they raughten. --Rom. of R. Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side. --John xx. 27. Fruit trees, over woody, reached too far Their pampered boughs. --Milton. 2. Hence, to deliver by stretching out a member, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another; to hand over; as, to reach one a book. He reached me a full cap. --2 Esd. xiv. 39. 3. To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; too extend some part of the body, or something held by one, so as to touch, strike, grasp, or the like; as, to reach an object with the hand, or with a spear. O patron power, . . . thy present aid afford, Than I may reach the beast. --Dryden. 4. To strike, hit, or tough with a missile; as, to reach an object with an arrow, a bullet, or a shell. 5. Hence, to extend an action, effort, or influence to; to penetrate to; to pierce, or cut, as far as. If these examples of grown men reach not the case of children, let them examine. --Locke. 6. To extend to; to stretch out as far as; to touch by virtue of extent; as, his hand reaches the river. Thy desire . . . leads to no excess That reaches blame. --Milton. 7. To arrive at by effort of any kind; to attain to; to gain; to be advanced to. The best account of the appearances of nature which human penetration can reach, comes short of its reality. --Cheyne. 9. To understand; to comprehend. [Obs.] Do what, sir? I reach you not. --Beau. & Fl. 10. To overreach; to deceive. [Obs.] --South.
\Reach\, v. t. 1. To stretch out the hand. Goddess humane, reach, then, and freely taste! --Milton. 2. To strain after something; to make efforts. Reaching above our nature does no good. --Dryden. 3. To extend in dimension, time, amount, action, influence, etc., so as to touch, attain to, or be equal to, something. And behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. --Gen. xxviii. 12. The new world reaches quite across the torrid zone. --Boyle. 4. (Naut.) To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the ind nearly abeam. {To reach after} or {at}, to make efforts to attain to or obtain. He would be in the mind reaching after a positive idea of infinity. --Locke.
\Reach\, n. 1. The act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown; as, the fruit is beyond my reach; to be within reach of cannon shot. 2. The power of stretching out or extending action, influence, or the like; power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity. Drawn by others who had deeper reaches than themselves to matters which they least intended. --Hayward. Be sure yourself and your own reach to know. --Pope. 3. Extent; stretch; expanse; hence, application; influence; result; scope. And on the left hand, hell, With long reach, interposed. --Milton. I am to pray you not to strain my speech To grosser issues, nor to larger reach Than to suspicion. --Shak. 4. An extended portion of land or water; a stretch; a straight portion of a stream or river, as from one turn to another; a level stretch, as between locks in a canal; an arm of the sea extending up into the land. ``The river's wooded reach.'' --Tennyson. The coast . . . is very full of creeks and reaches. --Holland. 5. An article to obtain an advantage. The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own underhand to cross the design. --Bacon. 6. The pole or rod which connects the hind axle with the forward bolster of a wagon.