read
read — verb
1. to look at letters, numbers, or other written marks and know what they mean.
to look at letters, numbers, or other written marks and know what they mean.
Talia learned to read short Mandarin words when she was four years old.
learn to read + [language/material]
Christopher read the recipe twice before he started cooking dinner.
read + concrete written object (recipe, sign)
Have you read about the storm that hit the coast last week?
read about + topic
Renata read on the bus every morning to pass the time.
intransitive: read (without object)
The boy was reading a comic book under the kitchen table.
- read a book
- read a newspaper
- read silently
- learn to read
- read about
Grammar Patterns
read + noun
read about + noun
read + that-clause
Usage Note
Object is typically a written or printed item (book, note, sign, screen). Used intransitively without an object when the activity itself is the focus, as in 'I read every night before bed.'
Common Mistakes
2. to speak the words on a page so that other people can hear them.
to speak the words on a page so that other people can hear them.
Hoa read the poem aloud to her grandmother in the hospital room.
read + [text] + aloud + to + [person]
Please read the next paragraph for the class, Darius.
imperative: read + [text] + for + [audience]
The judge read out the names of the winners one by one.
phrasal pattern: read out + [list]
Élise read her sister a funny story from the new picture book.
ditransitive: read + somebody + something
- read aloud
- read out
- read a story
- read a poem
- read to (somebody)
Grammar Patterns
read + noun
read + something + to + somebody
read + somebody + something
Usage Note
Often pairs with 'aloud' or 'out' to make the audible nature explicit. Distinguish from sense 1: here someone else can hear the words; in sense 1 the reading may be silent.
Common Mistakes
3. to decide what a piece of writing, an action, or a situation means, especially w
to decide what a piece of writing, an action, or a situation means, especially when there is more than one possible meaning.
Gita read his long silence as a sign that he was angry with her.
read + [behaviour] + as + [meaning]
How do you read this part of the contract about late payments?
how do you read + [text]
Leo can read his daughter's mood from across the playground.
read + [person's mood / face]
Don't read too much into one short email from your manager.
idiomatic: read too much into + [thing]
The coach read the other team's strategy before the second half began.
read + [strategy / situation]
- read as
- read into
- read the situation
- read someone's mind
- read between the lines
Grammar Patterns
read + noun + as + noun/adjective
read something into + noun
Usage Note
Often takes 'as' to introduce the chosen interpretation, or 'into' for reading more meaning into something than is really there. Object is typically abstract (silence, mood, situation, contract clause), not a written page.
Common Mistakes
4. to seem a particular way to someone who is reading it.
to seem a particular way to someone who is reading it.
The opening chapter reads like a mystery novel rather than a memoir.
subject is the text; reads like + [genre]
Sora's apology email reads as cold and rushed, even though she meant it kindly.
reads as + [adjective]
The new safety guide reads well and is easy for staff to follow.
reads well / reads badly
Marco's old letters read more like diary entries than messages to a friend.
- reads well
- reads badly
- reads like
- reads as
- come across
informal: 'his speech came across as nervous'
- sound
for spoken impression rather than written text
Grammar Patterns
read + adverb (well, badly, like)
read like + noun
read as + adjective
Usage Note
Subject is the text itself, not the reader. Always intransitive in this sense and almost always followed by an adverb (well, badly) or 'like'/'as' phrase. Distinguish from sense 3 where the reader is the subject.
Common Mistakes
5. to be able to hear what someone is saying clearly, especially over a radio.
to be able to hear what someone is saying clearly, especially over a radio.
Tower, this is flight 207 — do you read me?
fixed phrase: do you read me?
Cole told the rescue team he could read them loud and clear.
fixed phrase: read [somebody] loud and clear
The captain said he was reading the coast guard but the signal was weak.
I can barely read you, Eri — try moving closer to the antenna.
barely read + [person]
- do you read me
- read loud and clear
- read someone
Grammar Patterns
read + somebody
read + somebody + adverb (loud and clear)
Usage Note
Almost exclusively used in radio communication. Common fixed phrases: 'Do you read me?' and 'I read you loud and clear.' Object is the person speaking, not their words.
Common Mistakes
6. to read a story or book aloud to someone, usually a child, until they fall aslee
to read a story or book aloud to someone, usually a child, until they fall asleep.
Rachid reads his twin daughters to sleep with a different fairy tale every night.
read + [somebody] + to sleep
After the long flight, the grandmother read the tired boy to sleep on the sofa.
Christopher spoke so softly that he read the fussy baby to sleep within minutes.
Talia promised to read her younger brother to sleep while their parents were out.
- read someone to sleep
- read a child to sleep
- lull to sleep
by any soft sound, not only reading
Grammar Patterns
read + somebody + to sleep
Usage Note
Always uses the fixed pattern 'read + somebody + to sleep'. The object is the listener (usually a child), and the goal is putting them to sleep, not just reading aloud (compare sense 2).
Common Mistakes
7. if a piece of writing, sign, or measuring device reads something, those are the
if a piece of writing, sign, or measuring device reads something, those are the words it shows or the number it gives.
The wooden sign at Mert's bakery reads 'Closed on Sundays' in red paint.
[text] + reads + quoted content
The first line of the email reads, 'Please confirm your address by Friday.'
introducing the exact wording with a comma
Beatriz checked the kitchen scale, which read two kilograms exactly.
[meter / scale] + reads + [number]
The contract should read 'fifteen days' instead of 'fifty days' after the correction.
should read X instead of Y in editing contexts
The thermometer outside Felix's window read minus eight degrees this morning.
- the sign reads
- the label reads
- the meter reads
- should read
Grammar Patterns
[text] + reads + [content]
[sign] + reads + that-clause
[meter] + reads + [number]
Usage Note
Subject is the text or instrument itself, not a person. Often appears in the present tense even when describing a past inscription, because the wording is treated as a stable fact.
Common Mistakes
8. to be enrolled in a particular subject as your main field at a university, or to
to be enrolled in a particular subject as your main field at a university, or to undergo formal training toward a professional qualification.
Diya is reading economics at Cambridge and hopes to graduate next summer.
read + [subject] + at + [university]
Christopher decided to read for the bar after working as a paralegal for five years.
read for + [professional qualification]
Adaeze's elder sister read history before moving into journalism in Lagos.
Apinya was reading medicine when her father suddenly fell ill.
past continuous for an ongoing course of study
Several of the prime minister's advisors read law at Oxford in the 1980s.
- read law
- read medicine
- read history
- read for a degree
- read PPE
Grammar Patterns
read + [subject]
read for + [degree / qualification]
read + [subject] + at + [university]
Usage Note
Mainly British and somewhat formal; American English usually says 'study' or 'major in'. Distinguish from sense 1 (decoding written words) — this sense names the academic subject as object, not a text.
Common Mistakes
9. in golf and similar games, to look carefully at the slope, grass, or wind on a p
in golf and similar games, to look carefully at the slope, grass, or wind on a piece of ground and work out how a ball will roll across it.
Kwame crouched behind the ball and read the green before his final putt.
read + the green (golf collocation)
The caddie helped Noa read the slope, pointing out a hidden break near the hole.
read + the slope
Good players read the wind as carefully as they read the grass.
Élise misread the green at the seventeenth hole and lost the championship by a single stroke.
negative form 'misread' for a wrong judgement
- read the green
- read the slope
- read the line
- read the wind
- misread
to judge the surface wrongly
Grammar Patterns
read + [the green / the slope / the wind]
Usage Note
Almost always tied to golf, lawn bowls, or similar games. The object is the surface itself (the green, the slope, the line) rather than a person or text.
Common Mistakes
10. to look at things like palms, cards, or tea leaves and claim to learn about a pe
to look at things like palms, cards, or tea leaves and claim to learn about a person's future or hidden feelings from the patterns you see in them.
An old woman at the night market offered to read Obi's palm for a few coins.
read + [person]'s + palm
Baraka's grandmother claimed she could read tea leaves and warn the family of bad weather.
read + tea leaves
The fortune-teller read the cards and announced that a long journey lay ahead.
read + the cards (tarot context)
A wandering monk read the I Ching coins for Xiu and warned her of a coming illness.
read + [divination object] for [person]
- read someone's palm
- read tea leaves
- read the cards
- read someone's face
Grammar Patterns
read + [palm / cards / tea leaves]
read + somebody's + [palm / future]
Usage Note
Object is the divination signs (palm, cards, tea leaves, coins, runes), not the future or person directly. To say 'read someone's mood / face' for hidden feelings, use sense 3 (INTERPRET) instead.
Common Mistakes
11. if a computer or device reads a disk, file, or other piece of stored material, i
if a computer or device reads a disk, file, or other piece of stored material, it picks up the information stored there so that the system can use it.
The laptop could not read the old memory card that Felix found in the attic.
[computer] + reads + [storage device]
This program reads the user's settings from a small file at startup.
read + [data] + from + [file]
The supermarket scanner reads the barcode and shows the price on the screen.
Beatriz's tablet kept failing to read the USB stick, even after a restart.
- read a file
- read a disk
- read data from
- fail to read
- write
the opposite operation: storing data onto a device
Grammar Patterns
read + [data / file]
read + [storage device]
read + [data] + from + [device]
Usage Note
Subject is usually a machine, program, or sensor, not a person. The opposite operation is 'write', as in 'write data to a disk'. Distinguish from sense 1 (humans decoding text) — here no understanding is implied, just data transfer.
Common Mistakes
read back
phrasal verbTo read something aloud that you have just written or recorded.
Please read back the number so I can check it.
After writing the note, she read it back to herself.
read into
phrasal verbTo think that a situation or statement has a meaning that it may not have.
Don't read too much into her silence; she might just be tired.
He read into her comment a hidden criticism of his work.
read on
phrasal verbTo continue reading.
The first chapter was boring, but I decided to read on.
If you want to know the ending, read on.
read out
phrasal verbTo say something aloud that you are reading.
The teacher asked Sara to read out her poem to the class.
Please read out the instructions so everyone can hear.
read over
phrasal verbTo read something quickly to check or understand it.
I need to read over my essay before submitting it.
Could you read over this contract and tell me if it's okay?
read through
phrasal verbTo read something from beginning to end, often to check for errors.
She read through the report twice to find any mistakes.
Before the meeting, read through the agenda carefully.
read up
phrasal verbTo spend time reading about a particular subject to learn more.
I need to read up on the history of Japan before my trip.
He read up on the latest technology for his new job.
read up on
phrasal verbTo read a lot about a specific topic to gain knowledge.
Maya read up on nutrition to improve her diet.
Before the interview, Diego read up on the company's products.
To understand a hidden meaning that is not directly said.
When she said she was fine, I read between the lines and knew she was upset.
Can you read between the lines of his email and tell me what he really wants?
To easily know what someone is thinking or feeling.
My sister can read me like a book and always knows when I'm lying.
After years of marriage, Tom reads his wife like a book.
read my lips
idiomUsed to emphasize that what you are saying is true and important.
Read my lips: I will never lie to you again.
Read my lips: we are not going to that restaurant tonight.
To angrily warn someone that they must stop behaving badly.
The coach read the team the Riot Act after they lost three games in a row.
My mom read me the Riot Act when I came home past midnight.
To accept something as true without needing to discuss it.
We can take it as read that everyone will attend the meeting.
Take my apology as read; I don't want to talk about it anymore.
read — noun
1. a time spent looking at a book, article, or other piece of writing — also used t
a time spent looking at a book, article, or other piece of writing — also used to describe what that piece of writing is like to read, for example calling a novel an enjoyable or quick read.
Caleb settled into the armchair for a quiet read before bed.
a + adjective + read for a reading session
Linh said the new mystery novel was a really good read.
describing a book: a good / great read
Have a quick read of this email and tell me what you think.
have a + adjective + read of + noun
The biography of Frida Kahlo turned out to be a fascinating read.
evaluative: a fascinating / interesting read
Gabriel curled up by the window with the newspaper for an hour-long read.
- a good read
- a quick read
- a long read
- have a read
- an interesting read
- a fascinating read
Grammar Patterns
a + adjective + read
have a read of + noun
Usage Note
Almost always countable and singular, taking 'a' plus an adjective ('a good read', 'a quick read'). Distinguish from the verb sense: as a noun it names either the activity itself or the thing being read, judged by how enjoyable it is.
Common Mistakes
read — adjective
1. having gained your knowledge of a topic by spending time studying books and arti
having gained your knowledge of a topic by spending time studying books and articles, rather than from experience or formal classes.
Christopher is unusually well read in Roman history for someone of just fifteen.
well + read in [subject]
The new ambassador is widely read on Korean politics and quoted Park Chung-hee fluently.
widely read on [topic]
Élise grew up in a tiny mountain village yet became deeply read in Russian poetry.
deeply read in [subject]
The job needs someone well read in maritime law and willing to travel often.
predicative use after copula
Reema was the most widely read judge on the panel and noticed every weak citation.
widely read as standalone phrase
- well read in
- widely read on
- deeply read in
- remarkably well read
- poorly read
- well-informed
broader; covers any source of knowledge, not only books
- literate
can mean simply able to read, or knowledgeable in a field; context decides
- erudite
much stronger; suggests deep scholarly learning across many fields
- bookish
often slightly negative; suggests preferring books to real life
- unread
rare in this sense; 'poorly read' is more common
- ill-informed
general lack of knowledge, not tied specifically to reading
Grammar Patterns
well/widely/poorly + read
read in [subject]
Usage Note
Almost always preceded by a degree adverb (well, widely, deeply, poorly). The bare form 'a read person' is not used. Subject is a person, not a text.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All five verbs describe looking at written text and taking meaning from it, but they differ in pace, depth, and register. 'Read' is the neutral default and works at every level, from a child's storybook to a legal contract. 'Peruse' sounds formal and old-fashioned and suggests careful, thorough reading; ironically, many speakers now use it to mean the opposite, so it can be ambiguous in casual writing. 'Scan' means to run your eyes quickly over a page hunting for one specific piece of information, like a name or a number. 'Skim' is similar but aimed at the main idea, not a specific item. 'Study' implies slow, repeated reading with the goal of remembering or fully understanding the material. So a student might 'read' a chapter at home, 'skim' it on the bus the next morning, 'scan' it in the exam to find the right quote, and later 'study' it before a test.
Common collocations
Nouns
- read a book
- read a newspaper
- read an article
- read a sign
- read a map
- read a story
- read a poem
- read the news
- read the label
Phrases
- learn to read
- read between the lines
- read someone's mind
- read someone like a book
- do you read me
- take it as read
- well read
Prepositions
- read about
- read to (somebody)
- read for (a degree)
- read from (a page)
- read out (loud)
- read through
- read over
Etymology
Read comes from Old English rǣdan, which originally meant to advise, guess, or interpret a sign rather than to look at written words. That older meaning still survives in modern phrases like 'read someone's palm' or 'read the situation'. The sense of decoding writing developed only later, as Old English speakers extended the idea of interpreting signs to interpreting letters carved in runes. This is unusual: most other Germanic languages built their word for 'read' from a different root meaning 'gather' (compare German lesen, Dutch lezen). Over the medieval period the meanings 'advise' and 'interpret writing' both lived on in English, but the 'advise' sense slowly faded outside fixed phrases.