sight-read

American  

[sahyt-reed] / ˈsaɪtˌrid /

verb (used with or without object)

sight-read, sight-reading

1. to read, play, or sing without previous practice, rehearsal, or study of the material to be treated.

   to sight-read music; to sight-read another language.

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sight-read British  

/ ˈsaɪtˌriːd /

verb

1. to sing or play (music in a printed or written form) without previous preparation

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Other Word Forms

• sight-reader noun
• sight-reading noun

Etymology

Origin of sight-read

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

“It’s not one of those parts where you can just, if you’re a good player, sight-read it.”

From Los Angeles Times

I bought myself a piano, taught myself how to sight-read, which is how I started this album.

From Los Angeles Times

He came roaring out of Pittsburgh with a reputation for an extraordinary musical vocabulary, able to sight-read Bach as easily as a chart by Count Basie, and found himself in great demand as a sideman.

From Washington Post

Phonics is a great way to get kids to sight-read, but whole-language learning in sentences is an important motivating factor.

From Washington Post

In an early scene, she refers to the ability to sight-read music: to pick up a page of sheet music and play, without rehearsal or fear.

From Washington Post