Meaning of read in English

read

verb

/riːd/ us

/riːd/

read | read uk

/red/ us

/red/

read verb (UNDERSTAND)

A1 [ I or T ]

to look at words or symbols and understand what they mean:

He spent a pleasant afternoon reading (the newspaper/a book).

I read about the family's success in the local paper.

It was too dark to read our map and we took a wrong turning.

Can you read music?

Your handwriting is so untidy I can't read it.

[ + (that) ] I've read in the newspapers (that) there is a threat of war.

Put your plastic card in the slot, and the machine will read it and identify who you are.

Some children can read (= have learned the skill of reading) by the age of four.

A2 [ I or T ]

to say the words that are printed or written:

She read (the poem) slowly and quietly.

[ + two objects ] Their teacher always reads them a story at the end of the day.

Children love to have stories read (aloud/out) to them.

C2 [ T ]

to understand and give a particular meaning to written information, a statement, a situation, etc.:

She missed the train because she read 18.30 p.m. as 8.30 p.m. instead of 6.30 p.m.

On page 19, for "Blitish", please read "British".

If I've read the situation correctly, we should have some agreement on the contract by the end of the week.

[ I or T ]

How you read a piece of writing, or how it reads, is how it seems when you read it:

The letter reads as if it was written in a hurry.

Her latest novel reads well (= is written in an attractive way).

[ T ]

(especially when communicating by radio), to hear and understand someone:

Do you read me?

I read you loud and clear.

read someone to sleep

to read aloud to someone until they go to sleep:

Every night when I was a child my father used to read me to sleep.

More examples

I didn't read the contract fully before I signed it but I'm counting the cost now.
He learned to read at the early age of three.
The driver was peering into the distance trying to read the road sign.
None of the committee's proposals will matter a jot if no-one reads their report.
I've been put off reading the book by all the hype.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Reading

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Understanding and comprehending

Broadcasting: radio

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read verb (STATE)

[ L ]

(of something written or printed) to have or give the stated information or meaning:

[ + speech ] The start of the US Constitution reads "We, the people of the United States..."

The thermometer is reading 40°C in the shade.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Writing & typing

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read verb (STUDY)

[ I or T ] law UK formal or specialized

to study at university or to study for a specialized qualification:

They're both reading history at Cambridge.

She's reading for the Bar (= studying to become a type of lawyer called a barrister).

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Learning & knowing

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Idioms

read someone's lips
read someone's mind
read someone's palm
read (someone) the riot act
read between the lines
read the room
read my lips
read the runes
take something as read

Phrasal verbs

read something into something
read something out
read something over/through
read up (on/about) something

read

noun [ S ]

/riːd/ us

/riːd/

the act of reading something:

It's not brilliant but it's worth a read.

The book is a good/easy, etc. read.

UK informal Could I have a read of (= can I read) your newspaper?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Reading

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(Definition of read from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

read | American Dictionary

read

verb

/rid/

read verb (OBTAIN MEANING)

[ I/T ] past tense and past participle read us/red/

to obtain meaning or information by looking at written words or symbols:

[ T ] I read the book over the weekend.

[ I ] She couldn’t read or write.

[ I ] Did you read about the plan to build a new road to the airport?

[ + that clause ] I read that the job market for teachers is excellent.

[ T ] He reads music.

[ I/T ] past tense and past participle read us/red/

To read is also to say aloud the written words:

[ I/T ] She read the story to the class.

read verb (UNDERSTAND)

[ I/T ]

to understand the meaning or intention of something:

[ T ] If I’ve read the situation right, we’ll soon have agreement on a contract.

read verb (SHOW/STATE)

past tense and past participle read us/red/

to show or state information:

[ L ] The sign read, "No parking here to corner."

past tense and past participle read us/red/

If you read a device, you look at the measurement it shows:

[ T ] The gas company sends someone to read the meter every month.

Idioms

read between the lines

read someone’s mind

Phrasal verbs

read something into something
read out something
read up on something

(Definition of read from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of read

read

The effects of elevated train noise on reading ability.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I have three concerns after reading the book.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If you did not know what kind of sound banda makes - or why - after reading this book you will be none the wiser.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Evidence from intervention programs on reading suggests a causal relation between experience with books and language acquisition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Our major interest was to determine how differences observed in reading interactions relate to language acquisition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Predicting reading ability over the long-term : the changing roles of letter naming, phonological awareness and orthographic processing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Regression analyses with the older group attributed this to reading acquisition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Students of policy and politics can benefit from reading this book.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I think linguists with an interest in diachronic syntax will surely benefit from reading this book.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

When you are done reading the passage, turn the page.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Perspectives on reading research and instruction (pp. 28-33).

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I found myself asking on reading this, but the question is not seriously addressed.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

On reading through the text, however, one begins to develop an uneasy feeling that its central focus is the provider and not the older person.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Gradually from then he became very withdrawn, and he stopped reading the papers.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Such damage produces a greater impairment on reading exception words than regular words.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of read

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.