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

So with “Lanterns,” when I was first reading the script, I just kept looking at the cast of characters and thinking who might it be?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

A closely watched home price index will release its first reading for 2026 on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

The bill passed its first reading unanimously on 5 February but lawmakers failed to approve it as scheduled last week as they could not agree on how it should be applied.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 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