reading

noun read·ing \ ˈrē-diŋ \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

1 : the act of reading

2 a : material read or for reading

b : extent of material read

3 a : a particular version

b : data indicated by an instrument

4 a : a particular interpretation of something (such as a law)

b : a particular performance of something (such as a musical work)

5 : an indication of a certain state of affairs

a study to get some reading of shoppers' preferences

See reading defined for English-language learners

See reading defined for kids

Examples of reading in a Sentence

The family attended the reading of her will.
The speech ended with a reading from his latest novel.
After several readings, I finally understood the meaning of the poem.
He needs help in reading.
The teacher gave us a list of books for further reading on the subject.
He has done a lot of reading on this subject.
The reading for today is about human cloning.
Moby-Dick is required reading for any scholar of 19th-century American literature.
The pastor selected a reading for tonight's service.

Recent Examples of reading from the Web

Any reading above 50 indicates more builders see sales conditions as good rather than poor.

— christopher rugaber, Fox News, "US home building rose slightly in March, led by apartments," 17 Apr. 2018
Underscoring the criticism are sobering statistics: Nationally, just 25 percent of high school seniors are able to do grade-level math and just 37 percent score proficient in reading.

— sarah gonser, NBC News, "Students are being prepared for jobs that no longer exist. Here's how that could change.," 12 Apr. 2018
Eighth-grade performance also declined in HISD, slipping from 10th to 12th in math and 12th to 14th in reading.

— jacob carpenter, Houston Chronicle, "Texas, HISD get lower marks in reading, math on ‘Nation’s Report Card’," 10 Apr. 2018
For her intelligence, her compassion, her capaciousness, her search, her deep reading, her precise language, Jamison must be honored here.

— beth kephart, chicagotribune.com, "'The Recovering': Leslie Jamison writes a compelling memoir of addiction," 2 Apr. 2018
One recent study found that a programme in which 13- and 14-year-olds assisted 11- and 12-year-olds with their reading did not help the youngsters improve.

— The Economist, "Britain has become one of the world’s biggest education laboratories," 28 Mar. 2018
In the past year or so there has been a great falling-off in my reading, from four or five books a month to none.

— john e. mcintyre, baltimoresun.com, "Murder is most foul, but home is cozy.," 11 Mar. 2018
However, this tool turned out so rough that Square Enix now tells fans to ignore its readings.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Final Fantasy XV for Windows should have been a mess, but it’s the opposite," 7 Mar. 2018
Astrologer Russ Ross starts his hour-long astrology readings with your birth chart.

— john januzzi, The Cut, "The Best of New York Health & Self 2018," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reading.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of reading

before 12th century

reading Synonyms

Synonyms

assignment, lesson;

Related Words

homework, schoolwork;

lecture;

drill, exercise, practice (also practise);

étude, study;

Reading

biographical name Read·ing \ ˈre-diŋ \

1st Marquis of 1860-1935 Rufus Daniel Isaacs British statesman; viceroy of India (1921-26)

Reading

geographical name Read·ing \ ˈre-diŋ \

1 town in eastern Massachusetts north of Boston population 24,747

2 city on the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania population 88,082

3 town on the Thames River in southern England that is the capital of Berkshire population 219,000

READING Defined for English Language Learners

reading

noun

: the act of reading something
: the activity of reading a book, magazine, etc.
: a book, article, etc., that is being read or that is intended to be read

READING Defined for Kids

reading

noun read·ing \ ˈrē-diŋ \

1 : the act of reading

a poetry reading

2 : something read or available to be read

3 : the number or fact shown on an instrument

Take a reading from the thermometer.

Learn More about reading

See words that rhyme with reading Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reading Spanish Central: Translation of reading Nglish: Translation of reading for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reading for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reading

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