reach out

reach out (third-person singular simple present reaches out, present participle reaching out, simple past and past participle reached out)

1. (intransitive) To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something.

   He reached out to catch the falling snowflake.

2. (intransitive) To ask for help.

   His drug overdose was just him reaching out to you.

   • 1989, “Personal Jesus”, in Martin L. Gore (lyrics), Personal Jesus, performed by Depeche Mode:

     Reach out, touch faith!

3. (intransitive) To make more friends, to increase one's group of friends or acquaintances.

   Volunteering projects can be good ways to reach out.

4. (intransitive, originally business, followed by to) To attempt to initiate communication with someone; to contact.

   The telecom company's slogan, "reach out and touch someone", played on the figurativeness of both verbs; informal military usage later adopted it jocularly as a euphemism for long-range kinetic activity.

   • 2018 January 26, Bre Bradham, Nathan Luzum, Xinchen Li and Kenrick Cai, "Grad program director steps down after warning students not to speak Chinese" The Chronicle (Duke University:)

     The Chronicle reached out to Neely for comment about the emails Saturday afternoon, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

• outreach