1
: the act of reading
2
a
: material read or for reading
b
: extent of material read
3
a
: a particular version
b
: data indicated by an instrument
4
a
: a particular interpretation of something (such as a law)
b
: a particular performance of something (such as a musical work)
5
: an indication of a certain state of affairs
a study to get some reading of shoppers' preferences
Synonyms
Examples of reading in a Sentence
The family attended the reading of her will.
The speech ended with a reading from his latest novel.
After several readings, I finally understood the meaning of the poem.
He needs help in reading.
The teacher gave us a list of books for further reading on the subject.
He has done a lot of reading on this subject.
The reading for today is about human cloning.
Moby-Dick is required reading for any scholar of 19th-century American literature.
The pastor selected a reading for tonight's service.
Recent Examples on the Web
Supporters of the curriculum said the materials would help develop students' reading and writing skills.
—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2024
The curriculum includes Biblical and Christian lessons about Moses, the story of the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule, readings from The Book of Genesis, and more.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2024
She’s worked with experimental auteurs ranging from Robert Zemeckis to Denis Villeneuve, appeared in episodes of Friends and Tales From the Crypt, and is responsible for one of the funniest line readings of all time, courtesy of her two-episode arc as Alec Baldwin’s ex-wife on 30 Rock.
—Keaton Bell, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
On Tuesday, eight out of 15 state school board members signaled support for keeping the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum on a list of K-5 reading and English language arts materials for potential use in the 2025-26 school year.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reading 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2024
The curriculum includes Biblical and Christian lessons about Moses, the story of the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule, readings from The Book of Genesis, and more.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2024
She’s worked with experimental auteurs ranging from Robert Zemeckis to Denis Villeneuve, appeared in episodes of Friends and Tales From the Crypt, and is responsible for one of the funniest line readings of all time, courtesy of her two-episode arc as Alec Baldwin’s ex-wife on 30 Rock.
—Keaton Bell, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
On Tuesday, eight out of 15 state school board members signaled support for keeping the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum on a list of K-5 reading and English language arts materials for potential use in the 2025-26 school year.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reading
Articles Related to reading
Dictionary Entries Near reading
Cite this Entry
“Reading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reading. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationGeographical Definition
Reading
geographical name
Read·ing
ˈre-diŋ 
1
town in eastern Massachusetts north of Boston population 24,747
2
city on the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania population 88,082
3
town on the Thames River in southern England that is the capital of Berkshire population 219,000
Biographical Definition
Reading
biographical name
Read·ing
ˈre-diŋ
1st Marquis of 1860-1935 Rufus Daniel Isaacs British statesman; viceroy of India (1921-26)
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