reader

American  

[ree-der] / ˈri dər /

noun

1. a person who reads.

2. a schoolbook for instruction and practice in reading.

   a second-grade reader.

3. a book of collected or assorted writings, especially when related in theme, authorship, or instructive purpose; anthology.

   a Hemingway reader; a sci-fi reader.

4. a person employed to read and evaluate manuscripts offered for publication.

5. a proofreader.

6. a person who reads or recites before an audience; elocutionist.

7. a person authorized to read the lessons, Bible, etc., in a church service.

8. a lecturer or instructor, especially in some British universities.

   to be appointed reader in English history.

9. an assistant to a professor, who grades examinations, papers, etc.

10. Computers. a device that reads data, programs, or control information from an external storage medium for transmission to main storage.

11. a machine or device that projects or enlarges a microform image on a screen or other surface for reading.

12. a playing card marked on its back so that the suit or denomination of the card can be identified.

13. Library Science. the user of a library; library patron.

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reader British  

/ ˈriːdə /

noun

1. a person who reads

2. a person who is fond of reading

3. 1. at a university, a member of staff having a position between that of a senior lecturer and a professor

   2. a teaching assistant in a faculty who grades papers, examinations, etc, on behalf of a professor

4. 1. a book that is part of a planned series for those learning to read

   2. a standard textbook, esp for foreign-language learning

5. a person who reads aloud in public

6. a person who reads and assesses the merit of manuscripts submitted to a publisher

7. a person employed to read proofs and indicate errors by comparison with the original copy; proofreader

8. short for lay reader

9. Judaism another word for cantor

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Other Word Forms

• nonreader noun
• subreader noun
• underreader noun

Etymology

Origin of reader

before 1000; Middle English reder ( e ), redar ( e ), Old English rǣdere. See read ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

In response to the reader last week who was wondering why so many All-Area basketball players are leaving L.A. for other colleges: Mick Cronin.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Indeed, if you’re listening to this on a screen reader, you’re enjoying digital accessibility, which was built on the foundation of usability for those with disabilities.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

Visits to Mount Vernon and Monticello are treated mainly as occasions to remind us, as if any reader of this book will need reminding, that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were deeply implicated in slavery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Dr Sarah Hooper, a reader in Microbiology and Infection at the Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, said a case as severe as Davies' isn't very common.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

I swore I’d read that myth book cover to cover to make up for throwing my reader out of the window.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye