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 Bochy wasn’t wearing his reading glasses but said the boy looked like him. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023 There are actors who are unafraid to look foolish or petty in roles, who lean in to being unlikable onscreen when the mood (and the awards season) strikes, who might slum it by occasionally sporting an unflattering haircut or [shudder] reading glasses. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023 After tracking the count on each charge, Paxton took off her reading glasses and rested her chin on her hand. Eva Ruth Moravec, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023 This includes misplacing reading glasses or occasionally having difficulty finding the right word. Kari Mongeon Wahlen, Anchorage Daily News, 31 July 2023 Sick of squinting or losing track of your reading glasses? Sarah Felbin, Health, 10 July 2023 Styles range from $130 for reading glasses with lens powers from 0 to 3.5 magnification to $330 and up for prescription sunglasses. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023 More educated Americans are also more likely to be doing jobs that require near work, such as typing or reading, and thus more likely to don reading glasses to compensate for the slow advance of presbyopia. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 5 May 2023 Or, get something that makes his life a little easier, like a nifty stand to keep track of his reading glasses or an electric blanket to plug in and snuggle under on cold nights. seventeen.com, 21 Apr. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near reading glasses

Cite this Entry

“Reading glasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reading%20glasses. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!