the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
"his main reading was detective stories"
"suggestions for further reading"
a particular interpretation or performance
"on that reading it was an insult"
"he was famous for his reading of Mozart"
a datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument
"he could not believe the meter reading"
"the barometer gave clear indications of an approaching storm"
written material intended to be read
"the teacher assigned new readings"
"he bought some reading material at the airport"
a mental representation of the meaning or significance of something
"After staring at the cryptic note for hours, she finally had a reading that revealed it was a warning rather than an invitation."
a city on the River Thames in Berkshire in southern England
"Our family has lived in Reading since we moved to the countryside near Windsor last year."
a public instance of reciting or repeating (from memory) something prepared in advance
"the program included songs and recitations of well-loved poems"
the act of measuring with meters or similar instruments
"he has a job meter reading for the gas company"
The process of interpreting written language.
"She spent hours reading the dense legal contract to understand every clause before signing it."
In plain English: Reading is the act of looking at written words and understanding their meaning.
"She enjoys reading a book before bed."
Usage: Reading refers to the act of decoding and understanding written text, distinct from listening or viewing visual media alone. It can also describe specific sections of a book or document that are being studied at any given time.
present participle of read
"The pages were covered in reading that had been done years ago, yet the words still seemed to whisper secrets from the past."
In plain English: Reading is when you look at written words to find out what they mean.
"She spent her free time reading magazines by the window."
A surname.
"The Reading family has lived in this village for three generations."
The word "reading" comes from the Middle English form reding, which was derived from the Old English verb rǣdan meaning "to read." It entered modern usage by adding the suffix -ing to indicate the action of reading.