reading

play

noun read·ing \ ˈrē-diŋ \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of reading

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

The latest reading on Japan’s core inflation showed a 0.5 percent gain year-on-year in July, far short of the 2 percent goal.

— yoshiaki nohara, Bloomberg.com, "Japan's Rainy Summer Messes With the BOJ's Inflation Campaign," 30 Aug. 2017
Her ability to pass, serve, receive and attack from the back is based on her reading servers and just having a good sense of the game.

— kevin lonnquist, star-telegram, "How the Southlake Carroll volleyball team relies on its youngest player," 28 Aug. 2017
Collins worked at Odenville Middle School for 10 years, the first four teaching seventh grade reading, before spending the past six as the school librarian.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "'It's shocked everybody': Friends mourn slain librarian, coach," 22 Aug. 2017
Mr. Hammons is a touchstone figure for Mr. Ligon, and for many other artists interested in making work that can accommodate political readings without being confined to them.

— holland cotter, New York Times, "Glenn Ligon Rethinks the Color Line in the Show ‘Blue Black’," 10 Aug. 2017
For the record, just in case you haven’t done your reading like Sam, the children may have created the White Walkers in the first place to combat the First Men.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones: Will Arya’s New Weapon Take Down the Night King?," 6 Aug. 2017
But the reading of little Dylan's letter seems almost comical when considering that that same day, Donald Trump announced a ban on transgender troops in the U.S. military.

— christina coleman, Essence.com, "White House Propaganda Hits All Time High As Press Secretary Reads Fan Mail During Briefing," 28 July 2017
Dickens began his popular reading tours, earning fantastic sums.

— The Economist, "London’s hot and busy summer of 1858," 22 July 2017
Productions: $20, $15 students and seniors. Staged readings, $10.

— gege reed, The Courier-Journal, "16 theater & comedy acts July 20-26," 19 July 2017

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

interpretation, performance, account, rendition, version

Related Words

adaptation, reworking, variation

Reading

play

geographical name Read·ing \ ˈre-diŋ \

Definition of Reading

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

play

noun

Definition of reading for English Language Learners

: 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 \

Definition of reading for Students

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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First Known Use of reading

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Synonyms

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Reading

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READING Defined for English Language Learners

reading

Definition of reading for English Language Learners

READING Defined for Kids

reading

Definition of reading for Students

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