reach out

English

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

(intransitive) To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something.
He reached out to catch the falling snowflake.
(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!
(intransitive) To make more friends, to increase one's group of friends or acquaintances.
Volunteering projects can be good ways to reach out.
(intransitive, originally business, followed by to) To try to contact someone, especially in order to give or get information, help, support, etc.
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.
- 2025 March 13, Hilary Whiteman, “US tourist filmed running off with baby wombat flees Australia after visa threat”, in CNN‎^[1]:
  CNN has reached out to Jones but has not received a response.

to extend one's hand

to ask for help

to make more friends

to attempt to initiate communication