out of reach
38
4.0
- idiom
:
inalcanzable
- And of course, make sure that you store this up high and out of reach of children.
- just out of reach
- remain out of reach
- seem out of reach
Setting yourself goals that might feel out of reach and managing to achieve those.
- Setting yourself goals that might feel out of reach and managing to achieve those.
- And that was, I knew like far out of reach for me to have that if ever.
- And and it's not out of reach of everyone.
- But this all feels so out of reach.
- So the technology, though it's still costly, it wasn't out of reach of people who are not otherwise rich.
- So, so switch gears, OK, For a lot of people, television is out of reach, right?
- And let's put those beautiful M&M;'s in an opaque container, really like out of reach.
- And it feels so heavy and it feels so far and it feels so out of reach that we just give up.
- And people are getting increasingly distraught because the benchmarks are more and more out of reach.
- Or, you know, when you're up leveling like it's always on a horizon, like just out of reach, but always seemingly within grasp.
- So put that phone or alarm clock somewhere out of reach and get up, get your butt up to turn it off.
- Now, a lot of our audience is very budget conscious and for some, paying for therapy is out of reach.
Examples
-
But an international higher education would have been out of reach without a scholarship.
Academic text (2016) -
They make a lot of the stuff we see and do seem almost unattainable, almost out of reach for the present moment.
-
Something to believe in, no matter how out of reach it may be.
-
But he remained forever out of reach.
-
Its costs are high, and its benefits are out of reach for far too many.
Academic text (2010) -
And for average Americans, college is increasingly out of reach.
-
Sharps containers should be stored out of reach of children.
Academic text (2014) -
As the concert approaches, the chances for a high-quality performance seem increasingly out of reach.
Academic text (2013) -
Day-to-day conversations chip away at the perception that this goal remains out of reach for some.
Academic text (2012) -
The luxury vacation was completely out of reach for most families this year.
Synonyms
81
3.4
Not able to be used, reached, or bought
28
7.9
Not able to be reached, used, or understood
18
6.3
Not possible to get or reach
15
4.9
Too difficult to get to because of where or how it is
10
6.1
Far from towns and not easy to reach
7
6.1
Impossible to get
3
6.3
Not possible to do or reach
3
7.7
Too difficult for people to reach or get
1
7.1
Hard to reach because it is far away or blocked
Antonyms
How Attainable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'not able to be reached or obtained' is directly and compositionally derived from 'out' (away/from outside) + 'of' (linking) + 'reach' (to attain), so the spatial sense of being beyond reach is clear. This literal spatial-to-figurative extension is common across languages and follows normal English compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase out of reach comes from a simple image: something high on a shelf is out of your reach, so you cannot grab it. That's why it means 'not able to be reached or obtained'.