read between the lines

Cultural  

1. To pay attention to what is implied in writing or in speech.

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read between the lines Idioms  

1. Perceive or detect a hidden meaning, as in They say that everything's fine, but reading between the lines I suspect they have some marital problems. This term comes from cryptography, where in one code reading every second line of a message gives a different meaning from that of the entire text. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

read between the lines

The filing didn’t specifically mention China, but one can read between the lines: China, China, China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

No matter which internet service provider you choose, it’s important to read between the lines of the marketing language and promotional rates.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

There are a lot of quotes from alums in the book where you read between the lines and wonder, “Does this person like him?”

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

It was not hard to read between the lines and not hard to notice Rodgers' discomfort.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

The reader has to fill in the background—to read between the lines, to connect the dots—and if he doesn’t know which background is applicable, he will be mystified.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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