read (reads plural & 3rd person present) (reading present participle )
The form read is pronounced ri:d when it is the present tense, and red when it is the past tense and past participle.
1 verb When you read something such as a book or article, you look at and understand the words that are written there.
Have you read this book?... V n
I read about it in the paper... V about n
He read through the pages slowly and carefully... V through n
It was nice to read that the Duke will not be sending his son off to boarding school... V that
She spends her days reading and watching television. V
Read is also a noun., n-sing a N
I settled down to have a good read.
2 verb When you read a piece of writing to someone, you say the words aloud.
Jay reads poetry so beautifully... V n
I like it when she reads to us... V to n
I sing to the boys or read them a story before tucking them in. V n n, Also V n to n, V
3 verb People who can read have the ability to look at and understand written words.
He couldn't read or write... V
He could read words at 18 months. V n
4 verb If you can read music, you have the ability to look at and understand the symbols that are used in written music to represent musical sounds.
Later on I learned how to read music. V n
5 verb When a computer reads a file or a document, it takes information from a disk or tape. (COMPUTING)
How can I read a Microsoft Excel file on a computer that only has Works installed? V n
6 verb You can use read when saying what is written on something or in something. For example, if a notice reads `Entrance', the word `Entrance' is written on it.
no cont
The sign on the bus read `Private: Not In Service'. V with quote
7 verb If you refer to how a piece of writing reads, you are referring to its style.
The book reads like a ballad... V prep/adv
8 n-count If you say that a book or magazine is a good read, you mean that it is very enjoyable to read.
adj N
Ben Okri's latest novel is a good read.
9 verb If something is read in a particular way, it is understood or interpreted in that way.
(=interpret)
The play is being widely read as an allegory of imperialist conquest... be V-ed as n
South Africans were praying last night that he has read the situation correctly... V n adv/prep
10 verb If you read someone's mind or thoughts, you know exactly what they are thinking without them telling you.
As if he could read her thoughts, Benny said, `You're free to go any time you like.' V n
11 verb If you can read someone or you can read their gestures, you can understand what they are thinking or feeling by the way they behave or the things they say.
If you have to work in a team you must learn to read people... V n
12 verb If someone who is trying to talk to you with a radio transmitter says, `Do you read me?', they are asking you if you can hear them.
We read you loud and clear. Over. V n
13 verb When you read a measuring device, you look at it to see what the figure or measurement on it is.
It is essential that you are able to read a thermometer. V n
14 verb If a measuring device reads a particular amount, it shows that amount.
The thermometer read 105 degrees Fahrenheit... V amount
15 verb If you read a subject at university, you study it.
(BRIT)
FORMAL She read French and German at Cambridge University... V n
He is now reading for a maths degree at Surrey University. V for n
in AM, use major, study
16 If you take something as read, you accept it as true or right and therefore feel that it does not need to be discussed or proved.
take sth as read phrase V inflects
We took it as read that he must have been a KGB agent...
17 →
reading →
to read between the lines →
line read into phrasal verb If you read a meaning into something, you think it is there although it may not actually be there. The addict often reads disapproval into people's reactions to him even where it does not exist... V n P n It would be wrong to try to read too much into such a light-hearted production. V amount P n read out phrasal verb If you read out a piece of writing, you say it aloud. He's obliged to take his turn at reading out the announcements... V P n (not pron) Shall I read them out? V n P read up on phrasal verb If you read up on a subject, you read a lot about it so that you become informed about it. I've read up on the dangers of all these drugs. V P P n
lip-read (lip-reads 3rd person present) (lip-reading present participle )
The form lip-read is pronounced lɪpri:d when it is the present tense, and lɪpred when it is the past tense and past participle. If someone can lip-read, they are able to understand what someone else is saying by looking at the way the other person's lips move as they speak, without actually hearing any of the words. verb
They are not given hearing aids or taught to lip-read. V
lip reading n-uncount
The teacher should not move around too much as this makes lip reading more difficult.
sight-read (sight-reads 3rd person present) (sight-reading present participle )
The form sight-read is used in the present tense, where it is pronounced saɪt ri:d, and is the past tense and past participle, pronounced saɪt red. Someone who can sight-read can play or sing music from a printed sheet the first time they see it, without practising it beforehand. verb
Symphony musicians cannot necessarily sight-read. V, Also V n
well-read , well read A well-read person has read a lot of books and has learned a lot from them. adj
He was clever, well-read and interested in the arts.
