reading

REE-ding/ˈɹiːdɪŋ/

13 meanings of reading

1
verb
Present participle of read. Use this form for an action happening right now.
She is reading a book in the garden.
The students kept reading until the bell rang.
Note
2
nouncountable or uncountable
The skill of looking at written words and understanding what they mean.
Like turning marks on a page into pictures and ideas in your mind.
Reading is one of the first skills children learn at school.
He found reading difficult in such a noisy room.
3
nouncountable or uncountable
A number or value shown by a tool that measures something.
Like the number you see when you step on a bathroom scale.
The thermometer reading showed a high fever.
She wrote down the reading from the gauge.
Similarmeasurement, figure, value
4
nouncountable or uncountable
A way of understanding what a text or situation means.
Like two people hearing the same song and each feeling something different.
Her reading of the poem surprised the whole class.
My reading of the news is that prices will rise.
Similarinterpretation, take, understanding
Note
5
nouncountable or uncountable
A public event where someone reads writing out loud to a group of people.
The author gave a reading at the small bookstore downtown.
We went to a poetry reading on Saturday evening.
Similarrecitation
6
nouncountable or uncountable
A part of a book or holy text that is read out loud to listeners.
The first reading at the service came from an old psalm.
She chose a short reading for her grandfather's funeral.
Similarpassage, excerpt, extract, lesson
Note
7
nouncountable or uncountable
Working out what a sign, symbol, or measuring tool is telling you.
Map reading is a useful skill on long hikes.
The reading of road signs becomes automatic for most drivers.
Similarinterpretation
8
nouncountable or uncountable
Things that you can read, such as books, articles, or magazines.
She brought some light reading for the long flight.
There was plenty of reading in the waiting room.
9
nouncountable or uncountable
A stage that a proposed law goes through before it is officially passed.
The bill passed its second reading by a wide margin.
After the first reading, lawmakers debated the proposed changes.
Note
10
nouncountable or uncountable
How much and how widely a person has read.
A man of wide reading, he could discuss almost any topic.
Her reading ranges from science to history.
Similarlearning, erudition, scholarship
Note

Less common meanings

11
noununcountable
The set of books and texts that a course asks students to read.
The reading for this week covers two chapters.
Most of the reading comes from a single textbook.
Note
12
nouncountable or uncountable
The way a written character or word is said out loud, especially in East Asian writing.
Like how the same letter can sound different in different words.
This Japanese character has more than one reading.
The teacher explained the reading of each symbol.
Similarpronunciation
Note
13
noununcountable
In the game Go, working out future moves in your mind before you play them.
Like planning your chess moves in your head before touching a piece.
Good reading helps you avoid bad moves in Go.
Her reading of the position was several moves deep.
Similarcalculation
Note

reading is a form of read

read, verb: To look at written words and understand what they say, for example in a book or in a writer's works. Full entry

Forms: read also past tense, past participlereads he/she/itreading -ing form
Spelling: read → reading: add -ing

Practice

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Origins

Meaning 1

This comes from Old English 'rǣdende', the present participle of 'rǣdan' meaning 'to read'. It is read plus -ing.

Meanings 2–13

This comes from Old English 'rǣding', meaning 'reading'. It is read plus -ing.