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reading room

American  

noun

  1. a room set aside for reading, as in a library or club.


Etymology

Origin of reading room

First recorded in 1750–60

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.

“There are places where men want to be by themselves,” said one member, who spent years going there to read when the bar housed a reading room.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The decision to revoke Wilde's pass for the library - then the British Museum reading room - was recorded without comment in the trustees' minutes for 15 June 1895.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

Local stained-glass expert Raymond Nyson is credited with the main and Smith reading room leaded glass of this superb Gothic Revival space.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023

The families eventually streamed into what’s usually a gallery space but would be the reading room for the story time, the better to accommodate the crowd of 40.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2023

She provided the safe space of a reading room on the first floor, low-rent lodging upstairs, and an employment bureau to provide leads on jobs.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield