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 cup.
2 Esd. xiv. 39. 3. To attain or obtain by stretching forth the hand; to 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 touch 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 land reaches the river.
Thy desire . . . leads to no excess
That reaches blame.
Milton. 7. To arrive at; to come to; to get as far as.
Before this letter reaches your hands.
Pope. 8. 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), v. i.
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 wind nearly abeam.
To reach after or at, to make efforts to attain to or obtain.
He would be in the posture of the mind reaching after a positive idea of infinity.
Locke.
