Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Reach \Reach\, n.
   An effort to vomit. [R.]

Reach \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   preterit, is obsolete); p. pr.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 \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.

Reach \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.

Source : WordNet®

reach
     v 1: reach a destination, either real or abstract; "We hit
          Detroit by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We
          barely made it to the finish line"; "I have to hit the
          MAC machine before the weekend starts" [syn: {make}, {attain},
           {hit}, {arrive at}, {gain}]
     2: reach a point in time, or a certain state or level; "The
        thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed
        of 140 miles per hour" [syn: {hit}, {attain}]
     3: move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a
        metaphorical sense; "Government reaches out to the people"
        [syn: {reach out}]
     4: be in or establish communication with; "Our advertisements
        reach millions"; "He never contacted his children after he
        emigrated to Australia" [syn: {get through}, {get hold of},
         {contact}]
     5: to gain with effort; "she achieved her goal despite
        setbacks" [syn: {achieve}, {accomplish}, {attain}]
     6: to extend as far as; "The sunlight reached the wall"; "Can
        he reach?" "The chair must not touch the wall" [syn: {extend
        to}, {touch}]
     7: reach a goal, e.g., "make the first team"; "We made it!";
        "She may not make the grade" [syn: {make}, {get to}, {progress
        to}]
     8: place into the hands or custody of; "hand me the spoon,
        please"; "Turn the files over to me, please"; "He turned
        over the prisoner to his lawyers" [syn: {pass}, {hand}, {pass
        on}, {turn over}, {give}]
     9: to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear"
        [syn: {strive}, {strain}]

reach
     n 1: the limits within which something can be effective; "range
          of motion"; "he was beyond the reach of their fire"
          [syn: {range}]
     2: an area in which something acts or operates or has power or
        control: "the range of a supersonic jet"; "the ambit of
        municipal legislation"; "within the compass of this
        article"; "within the scope of an investigation"; "outside
        the reach of the law"; "in the political orbit of a world
        power" [syn: {scope}, {range}, {orbit}, {compass}, {ambit}]
     3: the act of physically reaching or thrusting out [syn: {reaching},
         {stretch}]
     4: the limit of capability; "within the compass of education"
        [syn: {compass}, {range}, {grasp}]