Learn English – Difference between ‘reach’ and ‘outreach’

word-choice

How do we differentiate between reach and outreach while using in a sentence.
Say,

We need to reach/outreach the opposition to get the bill cleared.

Which option will be better suited and why?

Best Answer

Outreach is a noun. The associated verb is To reach out.

Reaching out is not the same thing as reaching. Outreach is a concerted and targeted effort to get a message to a certain group, whereas reach simply describes how widespread or accessible your message is in general. For example, "Are we reaching senior citizens?" means, "Is our message getting to senior citizens?" while "Are we reaching out to senior citizens?" means, "Are we making a targeted effort to get our message to senior citizens?".

Outreach is, I think, sometimes used as a verb now in the realm of politics, where it has become a kind of buzzword. However, to my (native speaker of AmE) ears it sounds weird to use it that way, so I don't recommend it.

In choosing between reach or reach out, either could work but they mean different things.