read

We use cookies to enhance your experience on

our website. By continuing to use our website, you
are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can change
your cookie settings at any time.

Continue Find out more

Your Angel has

the Answer

British & World English read

Definition of read in English:

read
VERB

[WITH OBJECT]

1 Look at and comprehend the

meaning of (written or printed
matter) by interpreting the
characters or symbols of which it is
composed.
‘it's the best novel I've ever read’

‘I never learned to read music’

‘Emily read over her notes’
[no object] ‘I'll go to bed and read for
a while’
More example sentences

Synonyms

1.1 [no object] Have the ability to

look at and comprehend the
meaning of written or printed
matter.
‘only three of the girls could
read and none could write’

More example sentences

1.2 Speak (the written or printed

matter that one is reading)
aloud.
‘I read the letter to her’

‘the charges against him were

read out’
[no object] ‘I'll read to you if you
like’
More example sentences

Synonyms

1.3 Habitually read (a particular

newspaper or periodical)
‘now, I know what my
reputation is—I read the papers’

More example sentences

1.4 [no object, with complement] (of a

passage, text, or sign) have a
certain wording.
‘the placard read ‘We want
justice’’

More example sentences

1.5 Used to indicate that a

particular word in a text or
passage is incorrect and that
another should be substituted
for it.
‘for madam read madman’

More example sentences

1.6 (read for) [no object] (of an

actor) audition for (a role)
‘ring your agent and say you'll
read for the part’

More example sentences

2 Discover (information) by reading it

in a written or printed source.
‘he was arrested yesterday—I read it
in the paper’

[no object] ‘I read about the course in

a magazine’
More example sentences

2.1 (as adjective, with submodifier

read) Having a specified level of
knowledge as a result of
reading.
‘Ada was well read in French
literature’

‘he is a man deeply read in

history, philosophy, and
theology’
More example sentences

2.2 Discern (a fact, emotion, or

quality) in someone's eyes or
expression.
‘she looked down, terrified that
he would read fear on her face’

More example sentences

3 Understand or interpret the nature

or significance of.
‘he didn't dare look away, in case
this was read as a sign of weakness’

More example sentences

Synonyms

3.1 [no object, with adverbial] (of a

piece of writing) convey a
specified impression to the
reader.
‘the brief note read like a cry for
help’

More example sentences

4 Inspect and record the figure

indicated on (a measuring
instrument)
‘I've come to read the gas meter’

More example sentences

4.1 [no object, with complement] (of a

measuring instrument) indicate
a specified measurement or
figure.
‘the thermometer read 0° C’

More example sentences

Synonyms

5 British Study (an academic subject)

at a university.
‘I'm reading English at Cambridge’

[no object] ‘he went to Manchester to

read for a BA in Economics’
More example sentences

Synonyms

6 (of a computer) copy, transfer, or

interpret (data)
‘it attempts to read a floppy disk
without regard to its format’

More example sentences

6.1 [with object and adverbial] Enter

or extract (data) in an electronic
storage device.
‘the commonest way of reading
a file into the system’

More example sentences

6.2 (of a device) obtain data from

(light or other input)
‘the microchip gives a unique
code when read by the scanner’

More example sentences

7 Present (a bill or other measure)

before a legislative assembly.
‘the bill was accordingly read a
second time’

More example sentences

8 Hear and understand the words of

(someone speaking on a radio
transmitter)
‘‘Do you read me? Over.’’

More example sentences

NOUN

British
1 [usually in singular] A period or act of
reading something.
‘I was having a quiet read of the
newspaper’

More example sentences

Synonyms

1.1 informal [with adjective] A book

considered in terms of its
readability.
‘the book is a thoroughly
entertaining read’

More example sentences

1.2 US A person's interpretation of

something.
‘their read on the national
situation may be correct’

More example sentences

Phrases
read between the lines
Look for or discover a meaning that is
implied rather than explicitly stated.

‘reading between the lines, I think Clare

needs money’

More example sentences Synonyms

read someone like a book

Understand someone's thoughts and
motives easily.

Example sentences Synonyms

read someone's mind (or thoughts)

Discern what someone is thinking.

‘he nodded, as though he could read her

mind and approved of her attitude’

More example sentences

read my lips
informal Listen carefully (used to
emphasize the importance of the
speaker's words)

‘forget about him—read my lips, he

wasn't worth it’

More example sentences

you wouldn't read about it

informal Used to express incredulity,
disgust, or ruefulness.

Example sentences

Phrasal Verbs
read something into
Attribute a meaning or significance to
(something) that it may not in fact
possess.

‘was I reading too much into his

behaviour?’

More example sentences Synonyms

read someone out of

Formally expel someone from (an
organization)

‘a lot of people got read out of the

churches’

More example sentences

read up on something (or read

something up)
Acquire information about a particular
subject by studying it intensively.

‘she spent the time reading up on

antenatal care’

More example sentences Synonyms

Origin
Old English rǣdan, of Germanic origin;
related to Dutch raden and German
raten ‘advise, guess’. Early senses
included ‘advise’ and ‘interpret (a riddle
or dream’) (see rede).

Pronunciation
read /riːd/

W O R D O F T H E D AY

commix

FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS

GET WORD OF THE DAY BY EMAIL

Enter your email address

Weekly Word Watch: ball-tampering,

juuling, and Bitegate

You give me (spring) fever: six words

from the verdant language of spring

Your Angel has the Answer

Limited Offer: Your Personal Angel
Reading for Free
my-angel-reading.com

Exploring Toki Pona: do we need

more than 120 words?

Only Fools and Horses in the OED

On the radar: plogging

Matching verbs to
collective nouns
Which of these sentences is
correct?

Each band perform three

songs.

Each band performs three

songs.

NEXT 0/10

TRENDING WORDS

Most popular in the world

1. Remembrance Day
2. absorbable
3. hachures
4. Aaron's rod
5. abduction

Sign up for our newsletter

Stay up to date with our latest
news and receive new words
updates, blog posts, and more.

Enter your email address

Choose your country

SIGN UP

Further reading

What is the origin of

'sleep tight'?
One of the mysteries of the
English language finally
explained.

READ MORE

Advertisement

Your Angel has the Answer

Limited Offer: Your Personal Angel
Reading for Free
my-angel-reading.com

Top tips for better

writing
Some advice to nail your writing
assignments.

READ MORE

English prepositions
How to get prepositions right in
a heartbeat.

READ MORE

Top tips for CV writing

In this article we explore how to
impress employers with a spot-
on CV.

READ MORE

Archaic words
Archaic words have a charm
that never fades away, from
French sounding to wondrously
mysterious ones.

READ MORE

Find Out More

About

Contact us

Privacy policy and legal notice

Help

Follow
Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Instagram

More from Oxford Dictionaries

OxfordDictionaries.com

OxfordWords blog

Oxford Dictionaries Spanish

Oxford Global Languages

Oxford Dictionaries Premium

© 2018 Oxford University Press