read-only
adjective
computers
: capable of being viewed but not of being changed or deleted
a read-only file/document
Examples of read-only in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Trump administration says DOGE has a 10-person team of federal employees at the Social Security Administration, seven of whom have been granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identifiable information.
—
Lindsay Whitehurst, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2025
Treasury Department officials previously said Elez and Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause received read-only access to the sensitive payment system, after the DOGE team’s access sparked outcry from Democrats and other outside observers.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2025
Treasury Department officials initially said that the DOGE team had access to a read-only file, but later clarified that a DOGE team member was unintentionally granted the ability to edit code.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2025
The Treasury first claimed the access was read-only but then acknowledged that a DOGE team member briefly had the ability to edit code.
—Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Feb. 2025
However, after three federal unions filed a lawsuit against the move, a federal judge ordered on Feb. 5 that read-only data be given to two DOGE employees.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2025
Federal workers unions took the matter to court, and a judge on Thursday temporarily limited Musk’s team to read-only access.
—Justin Elliott, ProPublica, 7 Feb. 2025
Even plain read-only access is plenty sensitive, given the nature of the payment system's data, which includes Social Security numbers and tax information.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025
Reddit users will recall that when moderators were recently viewed by Reddit as breaking Reddit rules at scale (by making subreddits read-only or private in protest of Reddit’s new API access rules and pricing), Reddit responded by removing moderators that refused to re-open protesting subreddits.
—Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lindsay Whitehurst, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2025
Treasury Department officials previously said Elez and Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause received read-only access to the sensitive payment system, after the DOGE team’s access sparked outcry from Democrats and other outside observers.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2025
Treasury Department officials initially said that the DOGE team had access to a read-only file, but later clarified that a DOGE team member was unintentionally granted the ability to edit code.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2025
The Treasury first claimed the access was read-only but then acknowledged that a DOGE team member briefly had the ability to edit code.
—Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Feb. 2025
However, after three federal unions filed a lawsuit against the move, a federal judge ordered on Feb. 5 that read-only data be given to two DOGE employees.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2025
Federal workers unions took the matter to court, and a judge on Thursday temporarily limited Musk’s team to read-only access.
—Justin Elliott, ProPublica, 7 Feb. 2025
Even plain read-only access is plenty sensitive, given the nature of the payment system's data, which includes Social Security numbers and tax information.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025
Reddit users will recall that when moderators were recently viewed by Reddit as breaking Reddit rules at scale (by making subreddits read-only or private in protest of Reddit’s new API access rules and pricing), Reddit responded by removing moderators that refused to re-open protesting subreddits.
—Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Read-only.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/read-only. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share