1
a
: one that reads
b
: one appointed to read to others: such as
(1)
: lector
(2)
: one chosen to read aloud selected material in a Christian Science church or society
c(1)
(2)
: one who evaluates manuscripts
(3)
: one who reads periodical literature to discover items of special interest or value
d
: an employee who reads and records the indications of meters
e
: a teacher's assistant who reads and marks student papers
2
British
: one who reads lectures or expounds subjects to students
3
a
: a device for projecting a readable image of a transparency
b
: an electronic device that scans coded information (as on punch cards or bar codes) for storage or computation
5
readers plural
: eyeglasses used for reading or close work : reading glasses
Gilda came back with a pair of readers and, looking through her glasses, gave my eyelids serious consideration.—
Jeanne Ray
Jeanne RayExamples of reader in a Sentence
The book's ending leaves readers to draw their own conclusions.
a magazine with three million readers
Recent Examples on the Web
Here is when the alert reader, weighing the left and right sides of the elephantine volume in his lap, notices there are still 850 pages to go.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Hendrix, for one, is childless by choice, which offers readers alternatives for what happiness can look like.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 13 May 2025
This requirement means whatever challenges authors bring up, including those that could keep the protagonists apart, have to be resolved by the time readers turn the last page.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
According to my consumer decibel reader, at maximum the Wave 3 hovered around 60 decibels.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reader
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Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Hendrix, for one, is childless by choice, which offers readers alternatives for what happiness can look like.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 13 May 2025
This requirement means whatever challenges authors bring up, including those that could keep the protagonists apart, have to be resolved by the time readers turn the last page.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
According to my consumer decibel reader, at maximum the Wave 3 hovered around 60 decibels.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reader
Cite this Entry
“Reader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reader. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reader
noun
read·er
ˈrēd-ər 
1
: a person who reads
2
a
: a device that makes a readable image
a microfilm reader
b
: a machine for acquiring data (as for a computer)
a card reader
3
: a book for learning or practicing reading
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