reach for

phrasal verb

reached for; reaching for; reaches for

: to move one's hand in order to get or touch (someone or something)

She reached for the salt and pepper.

He reached into his pocket for a dime.

: to try hard to achieve or succeed at (something)

Success won't come to you, you have to reach for it.

Examples of reach for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The prospect of owning a house has begun to feel increasingly out of reach for many Americans, particularly first-time buyers. —

Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 8 May 2024 The financing news company ranked 50 cities in the United States by the percentage of neighborhoods where home prices are out of reach for the typical married-couple household. —

Jacqueline Pinedo, Miami Herald, 7 May 2024 Rising costs and economic pressures have notably tightened the housing market, putting homeownership out of reach for many new entrants despite ongoing governmental efforts to provide support. —

Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024 Ritchie could not be reached for comment by The Times. —

Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024 The wage settlement is one of the largest ever reached for U.S. poultry workers, the DOL said in a statement. —

Laura Romero, ABC News, 2 May 2024 King Charles reached for a cheerful tie for his first public engagement following his cancer diagnosis, sparking speculation about its meaning. —

Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024 None of those detained could immediately be reached for comment. —

Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024 Lopez has consistently been reaching for this wardrobe staple, with multiple baggy jeans moments happening in New York this past month. —

Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 5 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reach for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.