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Reach vs Access - What's the difference?

reach | access |

As verbs the difference between reach and access

is that reach is to extend; to stretch; to thrust out; to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like while access is to gain or obtain access to.

As nouns the difference between reach and access

is that reach is the act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown while access is a way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.

As an acronym REACH

is Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals

reach

English

Verb

(es)
  • To extend; to stretch; to thrust out; to put forth, as a limb, a member, something held, or the like.
  • Hence, to deliver by stretching out a member, especially the hand; to give with the hand; to pass to another; to hand over.
  • 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, etc.
  • To strike or touch with a missile.
  • Hence, to extend an action, effort, or influence to; to penetrate to; to pierce, or cut, as far as.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.}}
  • To extend to; to stretch out as far as; to touch by virtue of extent.
  • * Milton
  • Thy desire leads to no excess / That reaches blame.
  • To arrive at by effort of any kind; to attain to; to gain; to be advanced to.
  • * Cheyne
  • The best account of the appearances of nature which human penetration can reach , comes short of its reality.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud,
  • (obsolete) To understand; to comprehend.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
  • Do what, sir? I reach you not.
  • (obsolete) To overreach; to deceive.
  • (South)
  • To stretch out the hand.
  • To strain after something; to make efforts.
  • To extend in dimension, time etc.; to stretch out continuously ((past), (beyond), (above), (from) etc. something).
  • * 1994 , Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom , Abacus 2010, p. 4:
  • The Thembu tribe reaches back for twenty generations to King Zwide.
  • (nautical) To sail on the wind, as from one point of tacking to another, or with the wind nearly abeam.
  • Usage notes

    * In the past, raught'', ''rought'' and ''retcht could be found as past tense forms; these are now obsolete, except perhaps in some dialects.

    Derived terms

    * far-reaching * forereach * outreach * overreach * reachable * reach an early grave * reach for the stars * rereach *

    Noun

    (es)
  • The act of stretching or extending; extension; power of reaching or touching with the person, or a limb, or something held or thrown.
  • The fruit is beyond my reach .
    to be within reach of cannon shot
  • * 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), Chapter VI
  • and we have learned not to fire at any of the dinosaurs unless we can keep out of their reach for at least two minutes after hitting them in the brain or spine, or five minutes after puncturing their hearts—it takes them so long to die.
  • The power of stretching out or extending action, influence, or the like; power of attainment or management; extent of force or capacity.
  • * Hayward
  • Drawn by others who had deeper reaches than themselves to matters which they least intended.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Be sure yourself and your own reach to know.
  • Extent; stretch; expanse; hence, application; influence; result; scope.
  • * Milton
  • And on the left hand, hell, / With long reach , interposed.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I am to pray you not to strain my speech / To grosser issues, nor to larger reach / Than to suspicion.
  • (informal) An exaggeration; an extension beyond evidence or normal; a stretch.
  • To call George eloquent is certainly a reach .
  • (boxing) The distance a boxer's arm can extend to land a blow.
  • 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.
  • * Tennyson
  • The river's wooded reach .
  • * Holland
  • The coast is very full of creeks and reaches .
  • (nautical) Any point of sail in which the wind comes from the side of a vessel, excluding close-hauled.
  • (obsolete) An article to obtain an advantage.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own underhand to cross the design.
  • The pole or rod connecting the rear axle with the forward bolster of a wagon.
  • An effort to vomit; a retching.
  • Derived terms

    * arm's reach * beam reach * boardinghouse reach * broad reach * dry reach * earreach * eyereach * gunreach * reach-around * reachless

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * * 1000 English basic words ----

    access

    English

    Etymology 1

    * First attested in the early 14th century. * (entrance) First attested about 1380. * From (etyl), from (etyl) .

    Noun

  • (uncountable) A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.
  • * All access was thronged. - Milton
  • (uncountable) The act of approaching or entering; an advance.
  • (uncountable) The right or ability of approaching or entering; admittance; admission; accessibility.
  • (uncountable) The quality of being easy to approach or enter.
  • * c. 1600 , (William Shakespeare), Act 2 Scene 1
  • I did repel his fetters, and denied His access to me. - Shakespeare, Hamlet, II-i
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
  • , date=September 20 , author=Graeme Paton , title=University access plan 'will fail', says Russell Group , work=Telegraph citation , page= , passage=Coalition plans to widen access to university will fail to get to the 'root cause' of the problem, according to the Russell Group.}}
  • (uncountable) Admission to sexual intercourse.
  • * 1760s , (William Blackstone),
  • During coverture, access of the husband shall be presumed, unless the contrary be shown.
  • (countable) An increase by addition; accession; as, an access of territory.
  • * I, from the influence of thy looks, receive access in every virtue. - Milton
  • (countable) An onset, attack, or fit of disease; an ague fit.
  • * The first access looked like an apoplexy. - Burnet
  • (countable) An outburst of an emotion; a paroxysm; a fit of passion; as, an access of fury.
  • * 1946 , Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History (Abridgement of Volumes I-VI by D.C. Somervell)
  • It appears that, about the middle of the fourth century of the Christian Era, the Germans in the Roman service started the new practice of retaining their native names; and this change of etiquette, which seems to have been abrupt, points to a sudden access of self-confidence and self-assurance in the souls of the barbarian personnel which had previously been content to 'go Roman' without reservations.
    Usage note: sometimes confused with excess
  • (uncountable, legal) The right of a non-custodial parent to visit their child.
  • (uncountable, computing) The process of locating data in memory.
  • (uncountable, Internet) Connection to or communication with a computer program or to the Internet.
  • Derived terms
    * direct access * random access * remote access

    Etymology 2

    * First attested in 1962.

    Verb

    (es)
  • To gain or obtain access to.
  • (computing) To have access to (data).
  • I can't access most of the data on the computer without a password.

    References

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    Statistics

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