read

I UK [riːd] / US [rɪd] verb
Word forms "read":
present tense I/you/we/they read he/she/it reads present participle reading past tense read UK [red] / US past participle read
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1) [intransitive/transitive] to look at and understand words in a letter, book, newspaper etc

I read a few chapters of a book every night.

He was sitting reading in the waiting room.

read and write:

By the age of five, he was able to read and write.

read something from cover to cover (= all of something):

I always read the paper from cover to cover.

a) [intransitive/transitive] to speak the words that you are looking at

read (something) to someone:

Reading to young children helps develop their language skills.

read someone something:

Read me that last sentence again.

read (something) aloud/out loud:

I'm going to read this poem aloud.

read from something:

She will be reading from her latest novel.

b) [intransitive/transitive] to get information from books, newspapers etc

read about:

He likes reading about wildlife.

read something in something:

We read it in the local paper.

c) [transitive] used for telling someone about mistakes in printing

for something, read something:

On page 61, for "three thousand", read "three million".

read something as something:

The figure £600 should be read as $600.

2)

a) [transitive] if you can read music, you can understand the written marks that represent musical sounds

b) to look at and understand the information, symbols, or numbers on a map or a piece of measuring equipment

Has the man been to read the gas meter?

3) [transitive] to understand something in a particular way

They had read the situation extremely accurately.

read something as something:

We had read their decision as an admission of failure.

4) [transitive] if a short piece of writing reads something, it contains those particular words

The label read, "Suitable only for children over three".

5) [transitive] if a computer or other piece of electronic equipment reads something, it examines the information on it or copies it to a particular place

6) [transitive] if a piece of measuring equipment reads something, it shows a particular number or amount

The thermometer has been reading over 90 degrees all day.

7) [transitive] to be able to understand what someone is like or what they are thinking

It was difficult to read his expression.

See:

book I, mind I

8) [intransitive] if something reads well or badly, you think it has been written well or badly

In general, the script reads beautifully.

9) [transitive] to hear someone who is speaking to you by radio

This is Charlie Alpha Five. Do you read me?

10) [transitive] British old-fashioned to study a particular subject at university

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- read between the lines

- read like something

- read someone's lips

- take something as read

Phrasal verbs:

- read back

- read for

- read into

- read off

- read out

- read through

- read up on

II UK [riːd] / US [rɪd] noun [singular]

an act of reading something, or a period of time spent reading something

She settled herself down for a quiet read.

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a good/exciting etc read — something that is enjoyable/exciting etc to read