Beloved Julia, hear me still beseeching! (Here he grew
inarticulate with retching.) --Byron.
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.
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.
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.