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
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
The poor data typically weighs on stocks as readings worsen, but the pressure is released once past the point of maximum pessimism.
—
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The index may have fallen to 44.1 from a reading of 45.5 in February, according to the average economist estimate in FactSet (FDS).
—Josh Fellman, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2025
Playwrights’ Arena is presenting a reading as part of its New Pages Lab, a series designed for playwrights to hear their work with an audience.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Respondents expect inflation a year from now to run at a 5% rate, up 0.1 percentage point from the mid-month reading, and a 0.7 percentage point acceleration from February.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reading
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The index may have fallen to 44.1 from a reading of 45.5 in February, according to the average economist estimate in FactSet (FDS).
—Josh Fellman, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2025
Playwrights’ Arena is presenting a reading as part of its New Pages Lab, a series designed for playwrights to hear their work with an audience.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Respondents expect inflation a year from now to run at a 5% rate, up 0.1 percentage point from the mid-month reading, and a 0.7 percentage point acceleration from February.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reading
Cite this Entry
“Reading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reading. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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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