read

1 of 3

verb

read ˈred How to pronounce read (audio) ; reading ˈrē-diŋ How to pronounce read (audio)

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to receive or take in the sense of (letters, symbols, etc.) especially by sight or touch
(2)
: to study the movements of with mental formulation of the communication expressed
read lips
(3)
: to utter aloud the printed or written words of
read them a story
b
: to learn from what one has seen or found in writing or printing
c
: to deliver aloud by or as if by reading
specifically : to utter interpretively
d(1)
: to become acquainted with or look over the contents of (something, such as a book)
(2)
: to make a study of
read law
(3)
: to read the works of
e
: to check (something, such as copy or proof) for errors
f(1)
: to receive and understand (a voice message) by radio
2
a
: to interpret the meaning or significance of
read palms
b
: foretell, predict
able to read his fortune
3
: to recognize or interpret as if by reading: such as
a
: to learn the nature of by observing outward expression or signs
reads him like a book
b
: to note the action or characteristics of in order to anticipate what will happen
a good canoeist reads the rapids
a golfer reading a green
also : to predict the movement of (a putt) by reading a green
c
: to anticipate by observation of an opponent's position or movement
read a blitz
4
a
: to attribute a meaning to (something read) : interpret
how do you read this passage
b
: to attribute (a meaning) to something read or considered
read a nonexistent meaning into her words
5
: to use as a substitute for or in preference to another word or phrase in a particular passage, text, or version
read hurry for harry
often used to introduce a clarifying substitute for a euphemistic or misleading word or phrase
a friendly, read nosy, coworker
6
: indicate
the thermometer reads zero
7
: to interpret (a musical work) in performance
8
a
: to acquire (information) from storage
especially : to sense the meaning of (data) in recorded and coded form
used of a computer or data processor
A compiler is a program that translates instructions written by a human programmer into more specific codes that can be directly read by a computer. John Markoff
b
: to read the coded information on (something, such as a CD)
I had a minor problem with the disk drive in that the machine would not read the disk the first time it was powered up each day but had to be turned off and back on again.Robert Moskowitz

intransitive verb

1
a
: to perform the act of reading words : read something
b(1)
: to learn something by reading
(2)
: to pursue a course of study
2
a
: to yield a particular meaning or impression when read
b
: to be readable or read in a particular manner or to a particular degree
this book reads smoothly
3
: to consist of specific words, phrases, or other similar elements
a passage that reads differently in older versions

read

2 of 3

adjective

: instructed by or informed through reading

read

3 of 3

noun

1
chiefly British : a period of reading
it was a night … for a read and a long sleepWilliam Sansom
2
: something (such as a book) that is read
a novel that's a good read
3
: the action or an instance of reading
Phrases
read between the lines
: to understand more than is directly stated
read the riot act
1
: to order a mob to disperse
2
a
: to order or warn to cease something
b
: to protest vehemently
c
: to reprimand severely

Examples of read in a Sentence

Verb She learned to read at a very early age. I can't read your handwriting. He likes reading the newspaper. She reads a lot of mystery novels. She starts work every day by reading her e-mail. Didn't you read the instructions? Please read from Chapter 5 through Chapter 10. He read the poem aloud. He wrote down the address I gave him and read it back to me. Her mother read to her every night at bedtime. Noun He reviewed the book after several reads. She was lying in bed having a peaceful read.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And he’s showed an uncanny ability to read his customers’ needs and make the right strategic change at the right time, whether de-emphasizing PCs in favor of servers, sensors, and storage, or taking the company private—over the heated opposition of Carl Icahn—in a mammoth buyout. Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024 See photos of Korean haute cuisine and read the story. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for read 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'read.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English reden "to counsel, order, decide, guide, govern, realize, grasp the meaning of, interpret, explain, teach, look at and understand (written symbols), say aloud (something written)," going back to Old English rǣdan, (non-West Saxon) rēdan "to rule, direct, decide, deliberate, counsel, suppose, guess, expound the meaning of (as a riddle or dream), look at and understand (written symbols), say aloud (something written)," going back to Germanic *rēdan- (whence also Old Frisian rēda "to advise, protect, help, plan, decide," Old Saxon rādan "to consult, guess, take care of, counsel," Old High German rātan "to advise, deliberate, assist," Old Icelandic ráða "to advise, counsel, decide, determine, plan, rule, explain, interpret," Gothic garedan "to make provision for," fauragarairoþ "[s/he] predestined"), going back to an Indo-European verbal base *(H)reh1dh- "carry through successfully," whence also Sanskrit rādhati "will bring about," rādhnóti "(s/he) achieves, prepares, satisfies," Avestan rādat̰ "will make right"; from a causative *(H)roh1dh-éi̯e-, Gothic rodjan "to speak, talk," Old Icelandic ræða "to speak, converse," Old Irish ráidid "(s/he) speaks, says, tells," imm-rádi "(s/he) thinks, reflects," Welsh adroddaf "(I) utter, say, relate," Old Church Slavic neraždǫ, neraditi "to have no care for, take no heed of" (also neroždǫ, neroditi), radi "for the sake of," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian ráditi "to work, do," Lithuanian ródyti "to show"

Note: Old English rǣdan was a Class VII strong verb, with evidence of reduplication (past tense reord), though also conjugated as a weak verb; by the Middle English period evidence for strong conjugation is vestigial. The expected outcome of Anglian rēdan would be *reed, reflecting Middle English close long e; the predominance of read, reflecting open long e, is perhaps due to interference from outcomes of Germanic *raidja- (see ready entry 1). This is essentially the conclusion of the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, which assembles a number of presumed outcomes of *raidja- under a somewhat shadowy verb rede, the inflected forms of which can be difficult to distinguish from redd and rid (see redd entry 1, rid). — As is evident from the number of glosses, the Old and Middle English verbs covered a remarkably broad range of meanings. Those senses not having to do with the act of reading are now mostly represented by the spelling rede in Modern English (see rede). Though the sense "interpret" is evident in Old Norse, adaptation of this verb to refer to visual processing of written language is peculiar to Old English (and hence to Modern English); to express this idea other Germanic languages, excepting Gothic, have adapted, either by inheritance or loan, outcomes of the verb *lesan- "to gather, select," presumably as a calque on Latin legere (see legend). — A confusingly broad spectrum of meanings also characterizes the verb's Indo-European congeners, while the formal similarities are close. The gloss "carry through successfully" for *(H)reh1dh- ("erfolgreich durchführen") in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2. Ausgabe, applies best only to the Indo-Iranian forms.

Adjective

from past participle of read entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of read entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1586, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of read was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near read

Cite this Entry

“Read.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/read. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

read

1 of 2 verb
read ˈred How to pronounce read (audio) ; reading ˈrēd-iŋ How to pronounce read (audio)
1
a
: to go over and take in and understand the meaning of letters or symbols
learn to read
read braille
can you read decimals
I can't read your writing
b
: to study the movements of (a speaker's lips) and so understand what is being said
c
: to speak aloud written or printed words
read us a story
d
: to go over and take in the contents of
reading a book
e
: to understand the written form of
reads Spanish
f
: to be able to be read
2
: to learn from what one has seen in writing or printing
read about the fire
3
a
: to discover or figure out the meaning of
read palms
b
: foretell, predict
able to read his fortune
c
: to watch carefully in order to tell what will happen
reading the rapids while canoeing
4
: to show by numbers or letters
the thermometer reads zero
5
a
: to acquire data or information
a scanner reads the bar code
b
: to send to or get from storage
read your program back in

read

2 of 2 adjective
: taught or informed by reading
a well-read person

Biographical Definition

Read 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

George 1733–1798 American statesman in Revolution

Read

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Sir Herbert 1893–1968 English writer

More from Merriam-Webster on read

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