Showing results for "reading"

• present participle of read.

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• reading
  reading

  noun

  the action or practice of a person who reads.
• Reading
  Reading

  noun

  Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquis of, 1860–1935, Lord Chief Justice of England 1913–21; viceroy of India 1921–26.

SEE ALSO:

Slang dictionary results for reading.

reading

¹ American  

[ree-ding] / ˈri dɪŋ /

noun

• readings
  plural

1. the action or practice of a person who reads.

2. Speech. the oral interpretation of written language.

3. the interpretation given in the performance of a dramatic part, musical composition, etc..

   an interesting reading of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

4. the extent to which a person has read; literary knowledge.

   a man of wide reading.

5. matter read or for reading.

   a novel that makes good reading.

6. the form or version of a given passage in a particular text.

   the various readings of a line in Shakespeare.

7. 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.

8. an interpretation given to anything.

   What is your reading of the situation?

9. the indication of a graduated instrument.

   The reading is 101.2°F.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or used for reading.

   reading glasses.

2. given to reading.

   the reading public.

Reading ² American  

[red-ing] / ˈrɛd ɪŋ /

noun

1. Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquis of, 1860–1935, Lord Chief Justice of England 1913–21; viceroy of India 1921–26.

2. a city in Berkshire, in S England.

3. a city in SE Pennsylvania.

4. a town in E Massachusetts, near Boston.

5. a city in SW Ohio.

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reading ¹ British  

/ ˈriːdɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of a person who reads

   2. ( as modifier )

      a reading room

      a reading lamp

2. 1. ability to read

   2. ( as modifier )

      the reading public

      a child of reading age

3. any matter that can be read; written or printed text

4. a public recital or rendering of a literary work

5. the form of a particular word or passage in a given text, esp where more than one version exists

6. an interpretation, as of a piece of music, a situation, or something said or written

7. knowledge gained from books

   a person of little reading

8. a measurement indicated by a gauge, dial, scientific instrument, etc

9. parliamentary procedure

   1. 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

   2. one of the three stages in the passage of a bill through a legislative assembly See first reading second reading third reading

10. the formal recital of something written, esp a will

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Reading ² British  

/ ˈrɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. a town in S England, in Reading unitary authority, Berkshire, on the River Thames: university (1892). Pop: 232 662 (2001)

2. a unitary authority in S England, in Berkshire. Pop: 144 100 (2003 est). Area: 37 sq km (14 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreading
  noun
• self-reading
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• readings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of reading

First recorded before 900; Middle English redyng (gerund), Old English rǣdinge; see read ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

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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

See Examples For:

reading Reading readings

A strong reading could lift Treasury yields and the dollar, weighing on bitcoin, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” Ronaldo said, reading from a prepared statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

That connection is what makes the proposed reading technique possible.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

This year, the ACE reading for South East and East Asia is forecast to be nearly double the 30-year average.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

I love reading more than pretty much anything.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Reading the results in this way is a mistake.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Reading develops through a network of connected skills, and strengthening those foundations one step at a time can help children become more confident and capable readers.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Reading “Brief Lives of the Ancient World” is a splendid place to start.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Asim Khan of Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital said the death toll had risen to 33 by Thursday evening, with most of the victims aged between four and 14.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Reading a sentence and understanding it were the same thing; as with the crooking of a finger, nothing lay between them.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

US jobs data is also due later in the day, following broadly positive readings earlier in the week.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

International trackers such as Swiss-based IQAir have recorded readings close to 1,000 on some days.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

A slew of monthly manufacturing PMI readings for Asia are due on Monday, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

In November 2023, the economy began producing a steady diet of largely sub-100,000 new monthly job readings out of the private sector that persist to this day.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

But Hess’s readings showed that the ocean floor offered anything but the gooey smoothness of ancient silts.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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Related Words

• account
• education
• examination
• knowledge
• learning
• lesson
• review
• study
• translation
• version

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