read

Arabic reads right to left.

That sentence reads strangely.

(transitive or intransitive) To look at and interpret letters or other information that is written.

(ergative, of text) To be understood or physically read in a specific way.

To be understood or physically read in a specific way.

At the moment I'm reading Milton.

(transitive, metonymically) To read a work or works written by the named author.

To read a work or works written by the named author.

Have you read this book?

He doesn’t like to read.

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[…]

1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond:

She reads Playgirl magazine, goes to a male-strip joint and then complains about sexual harassment on the job.

1982, Robert M. Evenson, “"Liberated" Woman"”, in The Cincinnati Enquirer:

On this occasion he was carrying in his right hand a copy of the English-language China News, an odd touch because the President did not read English.

1983, James C. H. Shen, “A Round of Calls”, in Robert Myers, editor, The U.S. & Free China: How the U.S. Sold Out Its Ally, Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books Ltd., →ISBN, page 112:

He read us a passage from his new book.

All right, class, who wants to read next?

In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […] and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement. […]

1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:

(transitive or intransitive) To speak aloud words or other information that is written. (often construed with a to phrase or an indirect object)

She read my mind and promptly rose to get me a glass of water.

I can read his feelings in his face.

(transitive) To interpret, or infer a meaning, significance, thought, intention, etc., from.

On the door hung a sign that reads "No admittance".

In Livy, it is nearly certain that for Pylleon we should read Pteleon, as this place is mentioned in connection with Antron.

1832, John Lemprière et al., Bibliotheca classica, Seventh Edition, W. E. Dean, page 263

The sign of coefficient a(3) in the general formula of Table 2 should be plus instead of minus. Thus, the formula should read […]

2001, Astronomy & Astrophysics, volume 376, issue 3, p. 1039

(ergative) To substitute a corrected piece of text in place of an erroneous one; used to introduce an emendation of a text.

Our school focuses primarily on the liberal arts (read "useless degrees").

Eliminate illogical (read: stupid) answer choices.

2009, Suzee Vlk et al., The GRE Test for Dummies, 6th edition, Wiley Publishing, →ISBN, page 191:

Parents, meanwhile, deplored [Bratz dolls] as far too adult (read: slutty) for kids, accusing the doe-eyed, pouty-lipped toys of fostering unhealthy body images among young girls.

2010 December 23, Tamara Weston, “From Tickle Me Elmo to Squinkies: Top 10 Toy Crazes”, in Time:

I also did a long-wear test, as y'do and after scoffing my face with some food (read: I am feral when it comes to a midday snack, so what), the striking colour that I was wearing, named 'Jet', had stayed put. Pigment, check ✅.

2023 May 12, Lia Mappoura, “I tried Glossier's brand new G Suit lip crèmes so you don't have to – you're welcome”, in Cosmopolitan:

(by extension, ironic or humorous, usually imperative) Used to introduce a blunter, actually intended meaning.

Used to introduce a blunter, actually intended meaning.

Do you read me?

Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?

1968, Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey, spoken by Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea):

(transitive, telecommunications) To be able to hear what another person is saying over a radio connection.

A repeater signal may be used where the track geometry makes the main signal difficult to read from a distance.

(transitive, rail transport) To observe and comprehend (a displayed signal).

To observe and comprehend (a displayed signal).

I am reading theology at university.

Crabbe wanted him to go to England, to read for a degree there.

1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 94:

(transitive, Commonwealth, except Scotland) To study (a subject) at a high level, especially at university.

To study (a subject) at a high level, especially at university.

to read a hard disk

to read a port

to read the keyboard

(computing, transitive) To fetch data from (a storage medium, etc.).

To fetch data from (a storage medium, etc.).

Every time I go outside, I worry that someone will read me.

(transitive, LGBTQ) To recognise (someone) as being transgender.

To recognise (someone) as being transgender.

I've seen drags "read" an unattractive transsexual until she was almost in tears.

1976 August 7, Tommi Avicolli, “The Politics of Camp”, in Gay Community News, page 9:

Snapping, we are told, comes from reading, or exposing hidden flaws in a person's life, and out of reading comes shade […]

1997, Framing Culture: Africanism, Sexuality and Performance, page 186 (also discussing Paris is Burning)

CB [a black gay person being quoted]: "So, one time I read him and we were standing downstairs at the front desk in the dorm and I read him and there was this little bell […]." In the first example, the interviewee [CB] used snapping to read his white friend in a playful way, […].

2003, Philip Auslander, Performance: Media and technology, page 179:

[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.

2013, Queer Looks, page 114 (discussing Paris is Burning and "the ball world")

(at first especially in the black LGBTQ community) To call attention to the flaws of (someone) in a playful, taunting, or insulting way.

at first especially in the black LGBTQ community

(go) To imagine sequences of potential moves and responses without actually placing stones.

But now, faire Ladie, comfort to you make, / And read[…] / That short reuenge the man may ouertake […]

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

(obsolete) To think, believe; to consider (that).

[T]herfore / I red the [thee] / gete the [thee] to Gods vvorde ãd [and] therby trye all doctrine and agenſt that receave nothinge.

1528 October 12 (Gregorian calendar), William Tyndale, “The .IIIJ. Senses of yͤ Scripture”, in The Obediẽce of a Christen Man […], [Antwerp]: [Johannes Hoochstraten], →OCLC, folio cxlvi, verso:

This is the wandring wood, this Errours den, / A monster vile, whom God and man does hate: / Therefore I read beware.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 6:

(obsolete) To advise; to counsel. See rede.

But read how art thou named, and of what kin.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

(obsolete) To tell; to declare; to recite.

en-verb

read (third-person singular simple present reads, present participle reading, simple past read, past participle read or (archaic, dialectal) readen)

reads (present singular third-person)
reading (participle present)
read (past)
read (participle past)
readen (archaic dialectal participle past)
read (infinitive)

lees

to look at and interpret letters or other information

lees

to speak aloud words or other information that is written

lleer

to interpret or infer a meaning, significance, thought, intention, etc. from

atzeman

of text, etc., to be interpreted or read in a particular way

olvasd

to substitute (a corrected piece of text in place of an erroneous one); used to introduce an emendation of a text

értsd

(informal, usually ironic) used after a euphemism to introduce the intended, more blunt meaning of a term

чу́вам

to be able to hear (in a radio connection)

leolvas

to observe and comprehend (a displayed signal)

beolvas

to fetch data from (a storage medium, etc.)

From Middle English reden, from Old English rǣdan (“to counsel, advise, consult; interpret, read”), from Proto-West Germanic *rādan, from Proto-Germanic *rēdaną (“advise, counsel”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- (“to arrange”).
Cognate with Scots rede, red (“to advise, counsel, decipher, read”), Saterland Frisian räide (“to advise, counsel”), West Frisian riede (“to advise, counsel”), Dutch raden (“to advise; guess”), German raten (“to advise; guess”), Danish råde (“to advise”), Swedish råda (“to advise, counsel”), Persian رده (rade, “to order, to arrange, class”). In West Germanic the verb had a sense “interpret”, which developed further into “interpret letters” in English and “interpret by intuition, guess” on the continent. Compare rede.

inh

to counsel, advise, consult; interpret, read

Proto-Germanic *rēdaną (“advise, counsel”)

der

Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- (“to arrange”)

cog

Saterland Frisian räide (“to advise, counsel”)

West Frisian riede (“to advise, counsel”)

Persian رده (rade, “to order, to arrange, class”)


read

I had a read of the evening papers.

One newswoman here lets magazines for a penny a read.

1879, Frederick James Furnivall, letter to the editor of "The Spectator":

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[…]

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.

2006, MySQL administrator's guide and language reference, page 393:

A reading or an act of reading, especially of an actor's part of a play or a piece of stored data.

His thrillers are always a gripping read.

(in combination) Something to be read; a written work.

What's your read of the current political situation?

A person's interpretation or impression of something.

[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]."

Like most African-American women, Pearlie Mae uses snapping in many of the same ways that black gay men use it: to accentuate a read.

2003, Philip Auslander, Performance: Media and technology, page 185:

I learned that it was acceptable to be witty, especially if you were one of the wearblackallthetime, deconstructivist, radical, feministbitchydiva girls who could give a harsh read (i.e., critique) or throw shade […].

2013, bell hooks, Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, →ISBN:

(at first especially in the black LGBTQ community) An instance of reading (“calling attention to someone's flaws; a taunt or insult”).

(biochemistry) The identification of a specific sequence of genes in a genome or bases in a nucleic acid string

olvasmány

(in combination) something to be read; a written work

olvasat

a person's interpretation or impression of something


read

From Middle English redde (simple past), red, rad (past participle), from Old English rǣdde (simple past), (ġe)rǣded (past participle), conjugations of rǣdan (“to read”); see above.


read

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
An. DCCLXXIII Hēr ōþēowde rēad Crīstes mǣl on heofonum æfter sunnan setlgange. ⁊ þȳ ġēare ġefuhtan Myrċe ⁊ Cantware æt Ottanforda. ⁊ wundorlīċe nǣddran wǣron ġesāwene on Sūðseaxna lande.

Year 773 In this year a red crucifix appeared in the heavens after the setting of the sun. And in that year, Mercia and Kent fought at Otford.

Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
Moyses, ðurh Godes mihte, āwende eal heora wæter tō rēadum blōde, and hē āfylde eal heora land mid froggon, and siððan mid gnættum, eft mid hundes lūsum, ðā flugon into heora mūðe and heora næsðyrlum; and sē Ælmihtiġa ðone mōdiġan cyning mid þām eaðelicum ġesċeaftum swā gėswencte...

Moses, through the power of God, turned all their water into red blood, and filled all of their land with frogs, and then with gnats, and afterwards with dogflies, which flew into their mouths and their nostrils; the Almighty punished their proud king in that way with every kind of creature...

rēad (canonical)
rēad (masculine nominative singular)
rēad (feminine nominative singular)
rēad (neuter nominative singular)
rēadne (accusative masculine singular)
rēade (accusative feminine singular)
rēad (accusative neuter singular)
rēades (genitive masculine singular)
rēadre (feminine genitive singular)
rēades (genitive neuter singular)
rēadum (dative masculine singular)
rēadre (dative feminine singular)
rēadum (dative neuter singular)
rēade (instrumental masculine singular)
rēadre (feminine instrumental singular)
rēade (instrumental neuter singular)
rēade (masculine nominative plural)
rēada (feminine nominative plural)
rēade (feminine nominative plural)
rēad (neuter nominative plural)
rēade (accusative masculine plural)
rēada (accusative feminine plural)
rēade (accusative feminine plural)
rēad (accusative neuter plural)
rēadra (genitive masculine plural)
rēadra (feminine genitive plural)
rēadra (genitive neuter plural)
rēadum (dative masculine plural)
rēadum (dative feminine plural)
rēadum (dative neuter plural)
rēadum (instrumental masculine plural)
rēadum (feminine instrumental plural)
rēadum (instrumental neuter plural)
rēada (masculine nominative singular)
rēade (feminine nominative singular)
rēade (neuter nominative singular)
rēadan (accusative masculine singular)
rēadan (accusative feminine singular)
rēade (accusative neuter singular)
rēadan (genitive masculine singular)
rēadan (feminine genitive singular)
rēadan (genitive neuter singular)
rēadan (dative masculine singular)
rēadan (dative feminine singular)
rēadan (dative neuter singular)
rēadan (instrumental masculine singular)
rēadan (feminine instrumental singular)
rēadan (instrumental neuter singular)
rēadan (masculine nominative plural)
rēadan (feminine nominative plural)
rēadan (neuter nominative plural)
rēadan (accusative masculine plural)
rēadan (accusative feminine plural)
rēadan (accusative neuter plural)
rēadra (genitive masculine plural)
rēadena (genitive masculine plural)
rēadra (feminine genitive plural)
rēadena (feminine genitive plural)
rēadra (genitive neuter plural)
rēadena (genitive neuter plural)
rēadum (dative masculine plural)
rēadum (dative feminine plural)
rēadum (dative neuter plural)
rēadum (instrumental masculine plural)
rēadum (feminine instrumental plural)
rēadum (instrumental neuter plural)

desctree

Middle English: red, redde, reed, read, ræd
English: red
Scots: rede, reid
Yola: reed

From Proto-West Germanic *raud, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rowdʰós < *h₁rewdʰ-.
Germanic cognates: Old Frisian rād (West Frisian read), Old Saxon rōd (Low German root, rod), Dutch rood, Old High German rōt (German rot), Old Norse rauðr (Danish rød, Swedish röd, Icelandic rauður), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (rauþs).
Indo-European cognates: Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós), Latin ruber, Old Irish rúad, Lithuanian raũdas, Russian рудо́й (rudój).


read

read (adverbial positive predicative)
reader (adverbial comparative predicative)
it readst (adverbial predicative superlative)
it readste (adverbial predicative superlative)
reade (common-gender indefinite positive singular)
readere (common-gender comparative indefinite singular)
readste (common-gender indefinite singular superlative)
read (indefinite neuter positive singular)
reader (comparative indefinite neuter singular)
readste (indefinite neuter singular superlative)
reade (indefinite plural positive)
readere (comparative indefinite plural)
readste (indefinite plural superlative)
reade (definite positive)
readere (comparative definite)
readste (definite superlative)
reads (partitive positive)
readers (comparative partitive)