reader

American  

[ree-der] / ˈri dər /

noun

1. a person who reads.

2. a schoolbook for instruction and practice in reading.

   a second-grade reader.

3. a book of collected or assorted writings, especially when related in theme, authorship, or instructive purpose; anthology.

   a Hemingway reader; a sci-fi reader.

4. a person employed to read and evaluate manuscripts offered for publication.

5. a proofreader.

6. a person who reads or recites before an audience; elocutionist.

7. a person authorized to read the lessons, Bible, etc., in a church service.

8. a lecturer or instructor, especially in some British universities.

   to be appointed reader in English history.

9. an assistant to a professor, who grades examinations, papers, etc.

10. Computers. a device that reads data, programs, or control information from an external storage medium for transmission to main storage.

11. a machine or device that projects or enlarges a microform image on a screen or other surface for reading.

12. a playing card marked on its back so that the suit or denomination of the card can be identified.

13. Library Science. the user of a library; library patron.

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reader British  

/ ˈriːdə /

noun

1. a person who reads

2. a person who is fond of reading

3. 1. at a university, a member of staff having a position between that of a senior lecturer and a professor

   2. a teaching assistant in a faculty who grades papers, examinations, etc, on behalf of a professor

4. 1. a book that is part of a planned series for those learning to read

   2. a standard textbook, esp for foreign-language learning

5. a person who reads aloud in public

6. a person who reads and assesses the merit of manuscripts submitted to a publisher

7. a person employed to read proofs and indicate errors by comparison with the original copy; proofreader

8. short for lay reader

9. Judaism another word for cantor

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Other Word Forms

• nonreader noun
• subreader noun
• underreader noun

Etymology

Origin of reader

before 1000; Middle English reder ( e ), redar ( e ), Old English rǣdere. See read ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Quentin Fottrell — the Moneyist — helped a reader whose brother needs to enter a nursing home but doesn’t want to spend down all of his assets before Medicaid begins covering the cost.

From MarketWatch

The emotion-tossed characters in this book take a vexingly long time to sort out their feelings and make choices, but the challenging narrative rewards persistent readers with a worthy finale.

From The Wall Street Journal

Drawing on contemporary color standards and systems such as Munsell’s, he set out to do something deceptively difficult: translate the scientific lexicon into terms everyday readers could understand.

From The Wall Street Journal

The author is remarkably good at finding an obscure statistic or fact that causes the reader to sit back and ponder.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The spy story can vary enormously. It can be, at one low pole, Ian Fleming, writing to get himself readers and get himself money,” the British author H.R.F.

From The Wall Street Journal