e-reader

American

[ee-ree-der] / ˈiˌri dər /

Or eReader

noun

Digital Technology.

a portable electronic device used for reading books and other text materials that are in digital form.

e-reader British

noun

a portable device that allows users to download and read texts in electronic form

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of e-reader

First recorded in 1995–2000; e- ² ( def. ) + reader ( def. )

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.

Many people over the years have recommended that I get an e-reader so I don’t have to lug around books in my suitcase.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

In hindsight, he said he wished he had prepared his Kindle e-reader with more reading material - and packed a lot more beef jerky.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

It is not yet available for Kindle users, but Hunter says that’s the company’s next step – a necessary one given that Amazon’s e-reader is the preferred device of three-quarters of digital bibliophiles.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2025

The longtime Amazon executive, who had worked on logistics and the Kindle e-reader, lacked the health care expertise to make major decisions without consulting PillPack founders TJ Parker and Elliot Cohen.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023

Back home in Kansas, my great-grandma had gotten me an e-reader for Christmas.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

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