first reading

American  

noun

Parliamentary Procedure.

1. the reading of a bill when it is first introduced in a legislative body.

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first reading British  

noun

1. the introduction of a bill in a legislative assembly

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Etymology

Origin of first reading

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first reading

About 10 years after first reading about Manson, she made a discovery that chilled her to her core: She was not only related to Manson — she was his granddaughter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The lower house approved the bill at first reading in January but the Senate later amended it to target only the most harmful platforms, prompting concern in Brussels.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

In fact, when I was first reading it, I wasn’t sure whether Simon was killed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

Kusti Salm, the chief executive of Estonian startup Frankenburg Technologies, which is also developing cost-effective interceptors, remembers first reading about Iran sending Shaheds to Ukraine in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

In this way, she found that even the words that had seemed impossible to decipher on first reading began to make sense as she discovered their place in the story.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson