beach read

American

[beech reed] / ˈbitʃ ˌrid /

noun

a book, usually fiction, that one might enjoy during a vacation or a day at the beach because it is engaging, entertaining, and easy to read.

We rarely share our beach reads up at the lake house—as a rule, mine are romances and hers are detective stories.

Etymology

Origin of beach read

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While not as good as Season 1, it’s still bingeable, ridiculous fun, basically TV’s version of a beach read.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The top seller on Wednesday’s list was Elin Hilderbrand’s latest beach read, “The Five-Star Weekend”; followed by Bonnie Garmus’ popular debut novel “Lessons in Chemistry” and Ali Hazelwood’s comic romance “Love, Theoretically.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

We are truly past the marketing heyday of the beach read, and thank the publishing gods for that.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2023

Or read a wonderful beach read and escape.

From Salon • May 3, 2023

Why isn’t there a standup-special equivalent of a beach read?

From New York Times • Jul. 15, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023