reading
noun
the action or practice of a person who reads.
Showing results for "reading"
- present participle of read.
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Slang dictionary results for reading.
reading
1 American
[ree-ding]
/ ˈri dɪŋ /
noun
-
readings
plural
-
the action or practice of a person who reads.
-
Speech. the oral interpretation of written language.
-
the interpretation given in the performance of a dramatic part, musical composition, etc..
an interesting reading of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.
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the extent to which a person has read; literary knowledge.
a man of wide reading.
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matter read or for reading.
a novel that makes good reading.
-
the form or version of a given passage in a particular text.
the various readings of a line in Shakespeare.
-
an instance or occasion in which a text or other matter is read or performed, usually without elaborate preparation and often as a means of testing its merits.
The playwright wants to have a reading of the play for prospective producers.
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an interpretation given to anything.
What is your reading of the situation?
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the indication of a graduated instrument.
The reading is 101.2°F.
adjective
-
pertaining to or used for reading.
reading glasses.
-
given to reading.
the reading public.
Reading
2
American
[red-ing]
/ ˈrɛd ɪŋ /
noun
-
Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquis of, 1860–1935, Lord Chief Justice of England 1913–21; viceroy of India 1921–26.
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a city in Berkshire, in S England.
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a city in SE Pennsylvania.
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a town in E Massachusetts, near Boston.
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a city in SW Ohio.
reading
1
British
/ ˈriːdɪŋ /
noun
-
-
the act of a person who reads
-
( as modifier )
a reading room
a reading lamp
-
-
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ability to read
-
( as modifier )
the reading public
a child of reading age
-
-
any matter that can be read; written or printed text
-
a public recital or rendering of a literary work
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the form of a particular word or passage in a given text, esp where more than one version exists
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an interpretation, as of a piece of music, a situation, or something said or written
-
knowledge gained from books
a person of little reading
-
a measurement indicated by a gauge, dial, scientific instrument, etc
-
parliamentary procedure
-
the formal recital of the body or title of a bill in a legislative assembly in order to begin one of the stages of its passage
-
one of the three stages in the passage of a bill through a legislative assembly See first reading second reading third reading
-
-
the formal recital of something written, esp a will
Reading
2
British
/ ˈrɛdɪŋ /
noun
-
a town in S England, in Reading unitary authority, Berkshire, on the River Thames: university (1892). Pop: 232 662 (2001)
-
a unitary authority in S England, in Berkshire. Pop: 144 100 (2003 est). Area: 37 sq km (14 sq miles)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of reading
First recorded before 900; Middle English redyng (gerund), Old English rǣdinge; see read 1, -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
You can use the noun reading for something you read and also the act of interpreting or understanding it. Your favorite reading might be science fiction — if you're a true fan, you spend hours reading it daily. There are many closely-related definitions of reading, from a live performance like a poetry reading or a minister's Bible reading, to an individual interpretation of written material, like your feminist reading of classic fairy tales. Meter readers also take readings, or measurements: "The readingshowed that we used much more electricity last month." There are, in addition, several towns in the UK and the US called Reading, but those are usually pronounced redding.
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:
Nor, it turns out, did a lot of people in the audience, who hoisted signs from the American Civil Liberties Union reading: “Get the Flock Out!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
A reading below 50 points to a contraction, while a reading above that threshold points to an increase in activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The letters’ full text makes for some pretty uncomfortable reading.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
But the trajectory of Scottish Labour's Holyrood results make for grim reading – they've lost MSPs at every election since 1999.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
I had believed the Bible always, but reading it now had nothing to do with belief.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
It will be somewhat warmer in the south than on Saturday, with high temperatures peaking in the mid-20s Celsius in Southampton, Reading and London.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
"Long-term global warming remains the more significant driver of the UK's rising temperatures and increasing risk of extreme heat" said Dr Akshay Deoras, a climate scientist at the University of Reading.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“I was raised on Reading Rainbow,” Threets wrote in a post on Threads at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Instead, they are optioning land, which helps them generate higher returns and remove risk from their balance sheet, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Reading said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
A little while later, during Silent Reading, a spider crawled onto Becky Hibble’s book.
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
Among non-Hispanic white participants, fasting glucose readings of 126 milligrams per deciliter or lower were associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
The latest readings on inflation could deter central bank from raising borrowing costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
That marked the first and only day that readings above 40C have been seen in the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
University professor Oh Ji-hye for years walked past the village without going inside, opting instead for AI readings during her commute.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
He was speaking slowly and precisely, the way he did when he read the first and second readings, yet I could not hear it all.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
