reader

American  

[ree-der] / ˈri dər /

noun

readers plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonreader
  noun
• subreader
  noun
• underreader
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• readers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reader

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

Explanation

A person who reads, whether they love to read or simply are able to read, is a reader. If you're a fan of a particular author, you're also one of her readers. If you write children's books, you need to keep your readers in mind as you tackle difficult topics or use complicated language. Your readers are all the kids who will be reading the words you write. Another type of reader checks manuscripts for typos, or decides if they're good enough to be published as a book or in a magazine. Students who are learning to read sometimes use a book called a reader for practicing reading skills.

Example Sentences

Honorary degrees will also be conferred at the University's summer and winter graduation ceremonies, with recipients including musicians Deacon Blue and Eddi Reader.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Mr. Auslin is a historian at the Hoover Institution and author of “National Treasure,” a history of the Declaration of Independence to be published in May by Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader Press.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

New Year 2026 is "really significant" for Welsh agriculture, said Abi Reader, NFU Cymru's deputy president, who owns a dairy farm in Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026

Reader William J. McHale cited tailgaters as one of the driver types that annoys him the most.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

Reader, this is the very plan that Roscuro presented to Mig when he first met her.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo