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second reading

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Definition of second reading

1 : the stage in the British legislative process following the first reading and usually providing for debate on the principal features of a bill before its submission to a committee for consideration of details
2 : the stage in the U.S. legislative process that occurs when a bill has been reported back from committee and that provides an opportunity for full debate and amendment before a vote is taken on the question of a third reading

Examples of second reading in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ordinance's second reading is scheduled for Jan. 5. — Star Tribune, "Metro briefs: Blaine's 38-year-old ice arena in financial trouble," 26 Dec. 2020 The council left the item on its second reading to give it more time for consideration. — Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, "Fayetteville council holds parking deck contract, farm rezoning," 17 Dec. 2020 Now, activists hope that at least one council member will change their vote in time for the second reading of the ordinance on Dec. 15, after two council members voted against the agreement and one abstained. — Sarah Ravani, SFChronicle.com, "Developers want to build 4,000 homes on a toxic East Bay site. Activists want a full cleanup first," 11 Dec. 2020 In the end, the ordinance passed in a 9-1 vote and will have a second reading next Monday, CBS affiliate KELO-TV reported. — David Begnaud, CBS News, "Health care workers overwhelmed amid record coronavirus hospitalizations," 2 Dec. 2020 The board will hear a second reading next week, before the ordinance goes to Mayor London Breed's desk. — Stella Chan And Leah Asmelash, CNN, "San Francisco votes to ban smoking inside apartments, with exception for weed," 2 Dec. 2020 This announcement is likely to come ahead of the bill’s second reading on Monday (Nov. 30). — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, "The UK could ban Huawei from its 5G network earlier than expected," 27 Nov. 2020 City leadership voted 7-0 in favor of the second reading of a proposal to reformat the fountain, transitioning the oft-inoperable centerpiece into a smaller fountain that will also feature an activity lawn and a showcase for public art. — Anna Caplan, Dallas News, "Long out of order, Southlake’s Park Village fountain is finally set for a makeover," 19 Nov. 2020 This will surely come up at second reading next week, a mandatory step for any bill to eventually become law. — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, "The UK government wants new powers to block Chinese and other foreign takeovers," 13 Nov. 2020

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

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First Known Use of second reading

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for second reading

Time Traveler

The first known use of second reading was in 1647

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Statistics for second reading

Last Updated

12 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Second reading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20reading. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

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