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beach read

American  
[beech reed] / ˈbitʃ ˌrid /

noun

  1. 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.

See Examples For:

Unless, of course, they think they want a beach read.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 9, 2026

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

"I was ecstatic that it's been described as an elevated beach read."

From Salon May 3, 2023

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

From New York Times Jul. 15, 2022

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