A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

reach for the moon • reach for the sky
reach for the moon —(also: reach for the stars) have a high
ambition or purpose; try to do smth. impossible: Our learning
experience was rich and fulfilling and enabled each one of us
to reach for the moon in our own way.
reach for the sky —
1
. = reach for the moon: Thompson was
the kind of man that never stopped dreaming and who always
reached for the sky. Cf.: sky is the limit— there is no limit to
what a person can achieve: They have found that, in terms of
both salary and career success, the sky is the limit. 2. (sl.) used
(by a gunman) as a command to raise hands (also: reach for
the ceiling ): Danielson crawled up, jammed his rifle in the
enemy’s back and told him to reach for the sky.
reach out after someone • reach out to someone
reach out after someone —extend one’s hand in an effort to
grasp a person: Don reached out after Doris, but she slipped
away before he could get a good hold on her.
reach out to someone —
1
. offer help or support to a person:
You reached out to me just when I needed help the most. 2.
make an effort to communicate with smb. in order to persuade
or inform: Modern politicians try to reach out to ordinary
people in their speeches.
reach the bottom of something • reach to the
 bottom of something
reach the bottom of something —(also: get to the bottom of
something ) get to the lowest point of smth.: We were glad to
reach the bottom of the mountain.
reach to the bottom of something —extend to the lowest point
of smth.: That rope reaches to the bottom of the tower. You
grab hold and attempt to climb out.
react on something • react to something
react on something —
1
. have an effect on smth.: Heat reacts
on certain substances to change their chemical composition.
2. act in response to smth.: How will people react on this
information in Russia and China? And in other countries?
react to something — = react on something 2: Observe carefully
how the bacteria will react to this stimulus.