verb
/ riːd; NAmE / noun /riːd/ adjective / red/
■ verb
/riːd/ ( read , read /red/)
WORDS / SYMBOLS
1.
(not used in the progressive tenses) to look at and understand the meaning of written or printed words or symbols :
[ v ]
She's still learning to read.
Some children can read and write before they go to school.
[ vn ]
I can't read your writing.
Can you read music?
I'm trying to read the map.
2.
read (sth) (to sb / yourself) to go through written or printed words, etc. in silence or speaking them to other people :
[ v ]
I'm going to go to bed and read.
He liked reading to his grandchildren.
[ vn ]
to read a book / a magazine / the newspaper
Have you read any Steinbeck (= novels by him) ?
He read the poem aloud.
[ vn , vnn ]
Go on—read it to us.
She read us a story.
—see also proofread
DISCOVER BY READING
3.
read (about / of sth) (not used in the progressive tenses) to discover or find out about sb/sth by reading :
[ v ]
I read about the accident in the local paper.
[ v that ]
I read that he had resigned.
[ vn ]
Don't believe everything you read in the papers.
SB'S MIND / THOUGHTS
4.
[ vn ] read sb's mind / thoughts to guess what sb else is thinking
SB'S LIPS
5.
[ vn ] read sb's lips to look at the movements of sb's lips to learn what they are saying
—see also lip-read
UNDERSTAND
6.
[ vn ] read sth (as sth) to understand sth in a particular way
SYN interpret :
How do you read the present situation?
Silence must not always be read as consent.
OF A PIECE OF WRITING
7.
[ v speech ] to have sth written on it; to be written in a particular way :
The sign read 'No admittance'.
I've changed the last paragraph. It now reads as follows ...
8.
[ v ] to give a particular impression when read :
Generally, the article reads very well.
The poem reads like (= sounds as if it is) a translation.
MEASURING INSTRUMENT
9.
[ vn ] ( of measuring instruments ) to show a particular weight, pressure, etc. :
What does the thermometer read?
10.
[ vn ] to get information from a measuring instrument :
A man came to read the gas meter.
HEAR
11.
[ vn ] to hear and understand sb speaking on a radio set :
'Do you read me?' 'I'm reading you loud and clear.'
REPLACE WORD
12.
[ vn ] read A for B | read B as A to replace one word, etc. with another when correcting a text :
For 'madam' in line 3 read 'madman'.
SUBJECT AT UNIVERSITY
13.
read (for) sth ( BrE , rather old-fashioned ) to study a subject, especially at a university :
[ vn ]
I read English at Oxford.
[ v ]
She's reading for a law degree.
COMPUTING
14.
[ vn ] read sth (into sth) ( of a computer or the person using it ) to take information from a disk :
My computer can't read the disk you sent.
to read a file into a computer
•
IDIOMS
- read between the lines
- read sb like a book
- read my lips
- read (sb) the Riot Act
- take it / sth as read
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- read sth back
- read sth into sth
- read on
- read sth out
- read sth over / through
- read sth up | read up on sb/sth
■ noun /riːd/ [ sing. ] ( informal )
1.
( especially BrE ) an act or a period of reading sth :
I was having a quiet read when the phone rang.
2.
a good, interesting, etc. ~ a book, an article, etc. that is good, etc. :
His thrillers are always a gripping read.
■ adjective
/red/ (used after an adverb) ( of a person ) having knowledge that has been gained from reading books, etc. :
She's very widely read in law.
—see also well read
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English rǣdan , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch raden and German raten advise, guess. Early senses included advise and interpret (a riddle or dream) .