English
read
see also: Read
Pronunciation Verb

read (reads, present participle reading; past read, past participle read)

  1. (transitive or intransitive) To look at and interpret letters or other information that is written.
    Have you read this book?
    He doesn’t like to read.
    • 1661, John Fell (bishop), The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond ↗
      During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]
    Synonyms: interpret, make out, make sense of, understand, scan
  2. (transitive or intransitive) To speak aloud words or other information that is written. Often construed with a to phrase or an indirect object.
    He read us a passage from his new book.
    All right, class, who wants to read next?
    Synonyms: read aloud, read out, read out loud, speak
  3. (transitive) To read work(s) written by (a named author).
    At the moment I'm reading Milton.
  4. (transitive) To interpret, or infer a meaning, significance, thought, intention, etc. from.
    She read my mind and promptly rose to get me a glass of water.
    I can read his feelings in his face.
  5. To consist of certain text.
    On the door hung a sign that reads "No admittance".
    The passage reads differently in the earlier manuscripts.
  6. (ergative) Of text, etc., to be interpreted or read in a particular way.
    Arabic reads right to left.
    That sentence reads strangely.
  7. (transitive) To substitute (a corrected piece of text in place of an erroneous one); used to introduce an emendation of a text.
    • 1832, John Lemprière et al., Bibliotheca classica, Seventh Edition, W. E. Dean, page 263 ↗:
      In Livy, it is nearly certain that for Pylleon we should read Pteleon, as this place is mentioned in connection with Antron.
  8. (informal, usually, ironic) Used after a euphemism to introduce the intended, more blunt meaning of a term.
    • 2009, Suzee Vlk et al., The GRE Test for Dummies, Sixth Edition, Wiley Publishing, ISBN 978-0-470-00919-2, page 191 ↗:
      Eliminate illogical (read: stupid) answer choices.
  9. (transitive, telecommunications) To be able to hear what another person is saying over a radio connection.
    Do you read me?
    Synonyms: copy, hear, receive
  10. (transitive, Commonwealth, except Scotland) To make a special study of, as by perusing textbooks.
    I am reading theology at university.
    Synonyms: learn, study
  11. (computing, transitive) To fetch#Verb|fetch data from (a storage medium, etc.).
    to read a hard disk; to read a port; to read the keyboard
  12. (obsolete) To think, believe; to consider (that).
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.i:
      But now, faire Ladie, comfort to you make, / And read […] / That short reuenge the man may ouertake […]
  13. (obsolete) To advise; to counsel. See rede.
    • Therefore, I read thee, get to God's word, and thereby try all doctrine.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonbie, Book 1, Canto 1, p. 6,
      This is the wandring wood, this Errours den,
      A monster vile, whom God and man does hate:
      Therefore I read beware.
  14. (obsolete) To tell; to declare; to recite.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.iv:
      But read how art thou named, and of what kin.
  15. (transitive) To recognise (someone) as being transgender.
    Every time I go outside, I worry that someone will read me.
    Antonyms: pass
    Synonyms: clock
  16. (at first especially in the black LGBT community) To call attention to the flaws of (someone) in either a playful, a taunting, or an insulting way.
    • 1997, Framing Culture: Africanism, Sexuality and Performance, page 186 (also discussing Paris is Burning):
      Snapping, we are told, comes from reading, or exposing hidden flaws in a person's life, and out of reading comes shade […]
    • 2013, Queer Looks, page 114 (discussing Paris is Burning and "the ball world"):
      [One] assumes that such language contests are racially motivated—black folks talking back to white folks. However, the ball world makes it clear that blacks can read each other too.
Translations Translations Translations
  • French: lire
  • German: lesen können
  • Italian: leggere
  • Portuguese: ler
  • Russian: чита́ть
Translations Translations
  • French: se lire
  • German: gelesen werden
  • Italian: leggersi
  • Portuguese: ler-se
  • Spanish: leerse, interpertase, entenderse
Translations Translations Noun

read (plural reads)

  1. A reading or an act of reading, especially an actor's part of a play.
    • One newswoman here lets magazines for a penny a read.
    • , Self's the Man
      And when he finishes supper / Planning to have a read at the evening paper / It's Put a screw in this wall— / He has no time at all […]
    • 2006, MySQL administrator's guide and language reference (page 393)
      In other words, the system can do 1200 reads per second with no writes, the average write is twice as slow as the average read, and the relationship is linear.
  2. (in combination) Something to be read; a written work.
    His thrillers are always a gripping read.
  3. A person's interpretation or impression of something.
    What's your read of the current political situation?
  4. (at first especially in the black LGBT community) An instance of read.
    • 1997, Framing Culture: Africanism, Sexuality and Performance, page 186 (also discussing Paris is Burning):
      [As] Corey points out, "if you and I are both black queens then we can't call each other black queens because that's not a read. That's a [fact]."
Translations Pronunciation Verb
  1. inflection of read:
  2. simple past tense
  3. past participle
Read
Proper noun
  1. Surname, a less common spelling variant of Reid.
  2. A male given name.


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