read
read
Pronunciation
/riːd/.
re- /riː/ as in "ree" in "tree"
-d /d/ as in "d" in "dog"
Word Form Variations
As a Verb:
The verb "read" is irregular, meaning its past tense and past participle forms are not created by adding "-ed". The spelling of the past tense and past participle is the same as the base form, but the pronunciation changes.
Base Form / Infinitive: read (/riːd/)
Third-person singular present: reads (/riːdz/)
Present Participle / Gerund: reading (/ˈriːdɪŋ/)
Simple Past Tense: read (/rɛd/) - pronounced like "red"
Past Participle: read (/rɛd/) - pronounced like "red"
Examples of Verb Conjugation:
Present Simple: I read, you read, he/she/it reads, we read, you read, they read.
Present Continuous: I am reading, you are reading, he/she/it is reading, we are reading, you are reading, they are reading.
Present Perfect: I have read, you have read, he/she/it has read, we have read, you have read, they have read.
Past Simple: I read, you read, he/she/it read, we read, you read, they read.
Past Continuous: I was reading, you were reading, he/she/it was reading, we were reading, you were reading, they were reading.
Past Perfect: I had read, you had read, he/she/it had read, we had read, you had read, they had read.
Future Simple: I will read, you will read, he/she/it will read, we will read, you will read, they will read.
As a Noun:
When "read" is used as a noun, it typically refers to:
An act of reading or a perusal: "I had a good read of the newspaper." (Often uncountable in this sense, or singular for a specific instance).
Something to be read; a written work: "His new novel is a gripping read." (Often used in combination, like "quick read," "must-read").
A person's interpretation or impression of something: "What's your read of the situation?"
In computing, an instance of obtaining data from storage.
The noun form itself is "read" (pronounced /riːd/). Its plural form, when referring to multiple acts or types of reading, would be "reads" (e.g., "His plays had many different reads").
Related Word Forms (Derivations):
Reader: A person who reads, or a device that reads. (plural: readers)
Reading: The act of reading, or material that is read. (plural: readings)
Readable: Capable of being read; easy or engaging to read.
Readability: The quality of being readable.
Well-read: (Adjective) Having gained extensive knowledge through reading. (Note the pronunciation of "read" in "well-read" is /rɛd/, like the past tense)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
I. Verb
Definition 1: To comprehend written or printed material.
Original Definition: To mentally process and understand the meaning conveyed by written symbols, such as letters, words, and sentences, often by visually scanning them.
Synonyms: decipher, interpret, comprehend, peruse, scan, pore over, study
Antonyms: misunderstand, misinterpret, ignore (in the context of not engaging with text)
Definition 2: To speak aloud written or printed material.
Original Definition: To articulate vocally the content of text, translating written symbols into spoken words for an audience or oneself.
Synonyms: recite, enunciate, narrate, deliver, vocalize
Antonyms: write, transcribe, listen (as in the recipient of someone reading)
Definition 3: To interpret or understand the nature, intentions, or meaning of something non-verbal.
Original Definition: To perceive and make sense of information or signals from a situation, person, or object, often without explicit communication.
Synonyms: gauge, discern, assess, appraise, fathom, analyze, intuit
Antonyms: misunderstand, misinterpret, overlook, ignore
Definition 4: (Of a meter or instrument) To indicate or display a particular value or measurement.
Original Definition: To show or register a specific data point, numerical value, or condition, as presented by a device designed for measurement or monitoring.
Synonyms: show, indicate, register, display, record
Antonyms: conceal, obscure, malfunction (if it fails to indicate)
Definition 5: To study a subject at a university or college.
Original Definition: To pursue a particular academic discipline or field of study as a student at a higher educational institution.
Synonyms: study, major in, pursue, matriculate in
Antonyms: discontinue, drop (a course/subject)
II. Noun
Definition 1: An instance or act of reading; a perusal.
Original Definition: A singular occasion or process of engaging with written material for understanding or pleasure.
Synonyms: perusal, scan, browse, glance (a quick read), study (a deep read)
Antonyms: writing, composition
Definition 2: Something that is read; a piece of writing.
Original Definition: A text, book, article, or any written content considered from the perspective of its suitability for reading, often implying its quality or ease of comprehension.
Synonyms: text, publication, book, article, piece, material, document
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for "a written piece," but could be contrasted with "oral communication," "visual media")
Definition 3: An interpretation, impression, or understanding of a situation or person.
Original Definition: A personal assessment or viewpoint formed after analyzing a given circumstance, data, or the demeanor of an individual.
Synonyms: interpretation, assessment, understanding, impression, analysis, take (informal)
Antonyms: misunderstanding, misinterpretation, misjudgment
Definition 4: (Computing) The act or process of retrieving data from a storage device.
Original Definition: The operation by which a computer system accesses and retrieves information stored in its memory or on a data storage medium.
Synonyms: retrieval, access, fetch
Antonyms: write (as in writing data to storage), store
III. Adjective
Definition 1: (Pronounced /rɛd/) Having absorbed a significant amount of knowledge through reading.
Original Definition: Characterized by extensive intellectual exposure and learning acquired through a wide breadth of literary or academic consumption. (Often used in compounds like "well-read").
Synonyms: knowledgeable, learned, erudite, intellectual, scholarly, cultured
Antonyms: unread, ignorant, uneducated, illiterate
Examples of Use
Books:
"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would read about and see the watery part of the world." (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851)
"Every sentence in The Lord of the Rings is a pleasure to read." (From a customer review of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings on Amazon)
Newspapers:
"Economists will be closely reading the latest inflation figures due out next week." (The Wall Street Journal)
"The editorial urged citizens to read between the lines of the politician's recent statements." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"The article offers a fascinating read on the future of artificial intelligence." (Wired.com)
"Before commenting, please read our community guidelines to ensure a respectful discussion." (Reddit.com)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "Did you read the script for the new action movie? It's intense!" (Common dialogue in film industry discussions, e.g., on podcasts like The Business from KCRW, May 2025)
Television (Reality TV/Competition): "Your performance tonight was a little off. What's your read on why it didn't connect with the audience?" (A judge's critique on America's Got Talent, October 2024)
Music (Lyrics): "I read the news today, oh boy / About a lucky man who made the grade." (The Beatles, "A Day in the Life," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
Video Games: "The game has an excellent tutorial that helps you read enemy movements." (Review on IGN.com for Elden Ring, March 2022)
General Public Discourse:
"I need to read up on the local election candidates before I vote." (Overheard conversation in a cafe)
"His body language was difficult to read; I couldn't tell if he was angry or just tired." (Informal conversation, common in social settings)
"The thermometer read 35 degrees Celsius this afternoon." (Daily conversation about weather)
"Can you read that sign for me? My eyesight isn't what it used to be." (A person asking for help, common public interaction)
10 Quotes Using Read
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien (Often misquoted as "Not all who wander are lost to read.") - This is a difficult search query as the famous quote does not use "read".
"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." - George R.R. Martin (Often misquoted to include "read" such as "A mind needs to read books...") - This is a difficult search query as the famous quote does not use "read".
"I read a book one day and my whole life was changed." (Orhan Pamuk)
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." (Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!)
"A capacity, and taste, for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others." (Abraham Lincoln)
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." (Ray Bradbury)
"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide landscapes of thought, of imagination, of history, of discovery." (Elizabeth Hardwick)
"Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world." (Napoleon Bonaparte)
"We read in order to know we are not alone." (C.S. Lewis)
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention." (Francis Bacon, Essays)
Etymology
The word "read" has a fascinating history that goes back a long way, to before the 12th century. It comes from an Old English word, "rǣdan," which had a much wider range of meanings than "read" does today.
Initially, "rǣdan" meant things like:
To counsel or advise: Think of someone giving you guidance or a plan.
To deliberate or discuss: Like people talking through a problem together.
To rule or guide: Implies leading or directing.
To interpret or explain: This is where we start to see the connection to its modern meaning.
Over time, something interesting happened that was fairly unique to English (and perhaps Old Norse, a related language). The meaning of "rǣdan" narrowed down from simply "to interpret" to specifically "to interpret written symbols." So, the first known use of "read" in the sense we primarily use it today – understanding written text – emerged from this broader idea of interpreting and making sense of things.
While many other languages use words for "read" that come from ideas like "to gather up" (like the French "lire," from Latin "legere"), English's "read" evolved from this concept of "advising" or "interpreting," making its journey quite distinct. The older meanings like "to advise" are mostly gone from common use, though you might still see them in very old texts or in related words like "rede" (as in "to give good rede," meaning good advice).
Phrases + Idioms Containing Read
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "read":
Read between the lines: To look for or find a meaning that is not stated explicitly.
Read someone like a book: To understand someone's thoughts and feelings easily.
Read someone their rights: To inform a person who is being arrested of their legal rights (e.g., the right to remain silent).
Read the room: To accurately assess the mood or atmosphere of a group of people.
Read into something: To assume or infer more than is actually stated or implied.
Read up on something: To study or research a topic, often to gain knowledge quickly.
Read out: To speak aloud words that are written down.
Read through: To read something from beginning to end, often for review.
Read one's mind: To know what someone else is thinking without them telling you.
Take a read: To quickly look at or review something.
Give someone the riot act (or read someone the riot act): To give someone a strong warning or scolding about their behavior.
Read for filth: (Slang) To harshly criticize or expose someone's flaws in a very direct way.
Read the tea leaves: To try to predict the future based on small signs or indications.
A good read: A book, article, or other text that is enjoyable to read.
Well-read: Having read many books and being knowledgeable as a result.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of read from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
