Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who reads or is reading: Someone who looks at and understands the meaning of written or printed words.
   • A person who reads a particular publication or service: Someone who subscribes to or regularly reads a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical.
   • A person who enjoys reading: Someone who reads frequently for pleasure or interest.
   • A person who reads and assesses written material professionally: Someone employed to read manuscripts, proofs, or texts to evaluate, correct, or select them for publication.
   • A university teacher ranking below a professor: A junior academic position, especially in British universities.
   • A book containing selected passages or exercises for students: A textbook, especially for learning a language or improving reading skills.
   • A layperson who leads part of a church service: In some Christian churches, a person, not necessarily ordained, who reads lessons or scriptures during a service.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She is an avid reader of historical novels. (She reads historical novels frequently and with great interest.)
  • The newspaper has millions of readers. (Millions of people regularly read that newspaper.)
  • He works as a reader for a publishing house. (His job is to evaluate manuscripts submitted for publication.)
  • She was appointed as a reader in English literature. (She obtained a senior academic position at the university.)
  • This French reader is designed for intermediate students. (This textbook contains French texts for learners at an intermediate level.)
  • The reader stood at the lectern to read the first lesson. (The person appointed read the scripture passage to the congregation.)

Advanced Usage

• The common reader: Refers to the average, non-specialist person who reads for pleasure and general knowledge.
  • The author's style is accessible to the common reader.
• Mind reader: (Idiomatic) A person who seems to know what another person is thinking.
  • I can't be a mind reader; you have to tell me what you want.

Variants and Related Words

• Readership (n): The collective readers of a particular publication.
  • The magazine has a young readership.
• Proofreader (n): A person who reads printed proofs to find and mark errors for correction. (This is a compound word where 'reader' is part of it).
• Readable (adj): Easy or pleasant to read.

Synonyms

• Peruser: A person who reads or examines something, typically in a casual or thorough way.
• Subscriber: A person who arranges to receive a publication or service regularly.
• Reviewer: A person who writes critical assessments of books or other works (overlaps in the evaluative sense).
• Bibliophile: A person who loves or collects books.

Related Phrases

• To be a heavy/light reader: To read a large/small number of books.
  • He's a heavy reader, finishing a book every week.
• To appeal to the reader: To be interesting or attractive to the people who read it.
  • The story's relatable characters appeal to the reader.

Related Idioms

• Take something as a given/read (from "read my mind"): To assume something is understood or agreed upon without it being stated.
  • I thought our plans were settled, but I shouldn't have taken it as a read.
• Read between the lines: To look for or understand a hidden or implied meaning.
  • A careful reader will read between the lines of the official statement.

Noun

1. one of a series of texts for students learning to read
2. a public lecturer at certain universities
3. someone who reads the lessons in a church service; someone ordained in a minor order of the Roman Catholic Church
4. someone who reads proof in order to find errors and mark corrections
5. someone who reads manuscripts and judges their suitability for publication
6. a person who can read; a literate person
7. someone who contracts to receive and pay for a service or a certain number of issues of a publication
8. a person who enjoys reading