reach for the stars

verb

To have high hopes; to be ambitious.

Similar
reach for the skyreach for the moonshoot for the moonaim for the skyaim for the stars
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Meanings

verbreach for the stars (third-person singular simple present reaches for the stars, present participle reaching for the stars, simple past and past participle reached for the stars)

present singular third person reaches for the stars · participle present reaching for the stars · participle past reached for the stars · past reached for the stars

  1. idiomaticinformalTo have high hopes; to be ambitious.

    Tell Richard I saw the pictures that he sent for that feature on the female paratroopers and they're all so deeply unattractive. Is it impossible to find a lovely, slender, female paratrooper? Am I reaching for the stars here? Not really.

    2006, Aline Brosh McKenna, Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada, spoken by Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep)

    Synonyms: reach for the sky, reach for the moon, shoot for the moon, aim for the sky, aim for the stars

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo have high hopes; to be ambitious.

Similar
reach for the skyreach for the moonshoot for the moonaim for the skyaim for the stars
Also see
reach for the moonreach for the skyshoot for the moon

Translations

Catalan tenir grans ambicions
  • tenir grans ambicionsto have high hopes
Finnish kurkottaa kuuhun
  • kurkottaa kuuhunto have high hopes
French tirer des plans sur la comète, vouloir décrocher la lune
  • tirer des plans sur la comèteto have high hopes
  • vouloir décrocher la luneto have high hopes
  • avoir de hautes ambitionsto have high hopes
German nach den Sternen greifen, nach den Sternen langen
  • nach den Sternen greifento have high hopes
  • nach den Sternen langento have high hopes
Polish sięgać gwiazd, sięgnąć gwiazd
  • sięgać gwiazdto have high hopes
  • sięgnąć gwiazdto have high hopes
Cite this entry
APA

reach for the stars. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reach%20for%20the%20stars

MLA

“reach for the stars.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reach%20for%20the%20stars. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reach for the stars,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reach%20for%20the%20stars.

Source: reach for the stars on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.