Definition

To contact someone, reimagined as a caring gesture rather than just sending an email. The corporate phrase that makes spam sound like emotional support.

Example Usage

I'll reach out to the vendor about why they're three weeks late on delivery.

Origin

Popularized in business communication in the 2000s-2010s

Fun Fact

Before 'reach out,' people simply 'contacted' others without pretending it was a heartfelt connection.

Source: Common corporate terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

paradigm

A fancy word for 'the way we think about and do things around here,' often invoked by consultants right before they charge you six figures to change it. It's your conceptual framework, belief system, or model for understanding the world—until someone comes along and shifts it. The corporate world's favorite term for 'we need to completely rethink this entire mess.'

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

boomerang

When something returns to bite you in ways you didn't anticipate, usually referring to strategies, policies, or decisions that backfire spectacularly. In HR and employment, it's also an employee who left the company only to return later, often for more money. The corporate equivalent of "I told you so" in physical form.

💼 Corporate / Business
Advanced

burning platform

A crisis so urgent it forces immediate change, inspired by an oil rig disaster where workers chose to jump into freezing water rather than burn—cheerful stuff for Monday morning all-hands meetings.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

rubber-stamping

Approving something without actually reviewing it, like a board of directors who've completely checked out. It's due diligence for people who'd rather be golfing.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

offshoring

Relocating business operations or manufacturing to another country to reduce costs, typically labor expenses. A euphemism for 'we found people who'll do your job for less money in a different time zone.'

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

systematize

To impose order and structure on chaos by creating systems, processes, and procedures that transform random activities into repeatable workflows. This verb represents the moment when a scrappy operation matures into something resembling actual organization, complete with documentation that nobody reads. Systematizing is essential for scaling businesses but often strips away the entrepreneurial flexibility that made early success possible.

💼 Corporate / Business

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See “reach out” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

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