reader

American  

[ree-der] / ˈri dər /

noun

• readers
  plural

1. a person who reads.

2. a schoolbook for instruction and practice in reading.

   a second-grade reader.

3. a book of collected or assorted writings, especially when related in theme, authorship, or instructive purpose; anthology.

   a Hemingway reader; a sci-fi reader.

4. a person employed to read and evaluate manuscripts offered for publication.

5. a proofreader.

6. a person who reads or recites before an audience; elocutionist.

7. a person authorized to read the lessons, Bible, etc., in a church service.

8. a lecturer or instructor, especially in some British universities.

   to be appointed reader in English history.

9. an assistant to a professor, who grades examinations, papers, etc.

10. Computers. a device that reads data, programs, or control information from an external storage medium for transmission to main storage.

11. a machine or device that projects or enlarges a microform image on a screen or other surface for reading.

12. a playing card marked on its back so that the suit or denomination of the card can be identified.

13. Library Science. the user of a library; library patron.

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reader British  

/ ˈriːdə /

noun

1. a person who reads

2. a person who is fond of reading

3. 1. at a university, a member of staff having a position between that of a senior lecturer and a professor

   2. a teaching assistant in a faculty who grades papers, examinations, etc, on behalf of a professor

4. 1. a book that is part of a planned series for those learning to read

   2. a standard textbook, esp for foreign-language learning

5. a person who reads aloud in public

6. a person who reads and assesses the merit of manuscripts submitted to a publisher

7. a person employed to read proofs and indicate errors by comparison with the original copy; proofreader

8. short for lay reader

9. Judaism another word for cantor

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreader
  noun
• subreader
  noun
• underreader
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• readers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reader

before 1000; Middle English reder ( e ), redar ( e ), Old English rǣdere. See read ¹, -er ¹

Explanation

A person who reads, whether they love to read or simply are able to read, is a reader. If you're a fan of a particular author, you're also one of her readers. If you write children's books, you need to keep your readers in mind as you tackle difficult topics or use complicated language. Your readers are all the kids who will be reading the words you write. Another type of reader checks manuscripts for typos, or decides if they're good enough to be published as a book or in a magazine. Students who are learning to read sometimes use a book called a reader for practicing reading skills.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reader readers

This week Quentin Fottrell — the Moneyist — helped a MarketWatch reader whose husband is the executor for his father’s estate, which includes his house, in which two people have been renting rooms.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Under generally accepted accounting principles, companies reporting related-party transactions must disclose enough information so an outside reader can gain “an understanding of the effects of the transactions on the financial statements.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

His daughter, though, was a voracious reader, becoming a champion of Appalachian authors like Adriana Trigiani, Lee Smith and Silas House, and seeing literacy and education as its own kind of salvation.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

Alison Green solicited reader anecdotes about how their dogs-at-work policies have played out and considers the issue from all angles.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

That might seem like an exciting development to you, reader, but it caused our robot to feel something like sorrow and loss.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Dozens of readers subsequently got in touch to share their views on the issue.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Its author, Henry Power, a professor of English literature at the University of Exeter, takes his readers through a gallery of English-language poets who have wrestled, over more than four centuries, with Homer’s legacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The collective efforts of the BBC Sport readers predicted two exact scores and one correct result to record 90 points.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Books from Mac Barnett and Katherine Rundell argue for the value of imaginative, engrossing tales that can engage readers young and old alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Newspapers were in the business of keeping all their readers happy; so many editors tried to play to both sides.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock