reading glasses

plural noun

: eyeglasses used for reading or close work
… each button on the phone has one large number and three tiny letters squeezed about it so you have to squint real hard, especially if you don't have your reading glasses on.Dennis Baron

Examples of reading glasses in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The one on the passenger’s side is fine, but the one near me is just at the distance someone who uses reading glasses will have trouble focusing on. James Morris, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025 Its latest collection is called Stadium, a line of reading glasses with a retro-sporty edge. Tianwei Zhang, WWD, 19 Feb. 2025 After Mary was arrested, Michelle and Kaj bought her items from the commissary online: a tube of cocoa-butter lotion, a pack of playing cards, some Kraft jalapeño spread, a flour tortilla, and a pair of reading glasses. Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 Among his requisites are his passport, chargers, toiletries, eye drops, Apple Watch, sunglasses, reading glasses, notebook, and Sharpies. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2025 These lenses require bifocals or reading glasses for near activities. Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 23 Mar. 2025 One removes one’s reading glasses from one’s pocket and puts them on. Joseph O’Neill, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025 Use the five compartments to hold everything from sunglasses and reading glasses to necklaces and rings, then roll up the case and bring it in your bag. Isabel Garcia, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025 Find some reading glasses, pursued by the daughter of an aged patient, left behind in a bedside table. Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reading glasses was in 1853

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Cite this Entry

“Reading glasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reading%20glasses. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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