<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>the action or practice of a person who reads.</li><li>Speech: the oral interpretation of written language.</li><li>the interpretation given in the performance of a dramatic part, musical composition, etc.: an interesting reading of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.</li><li>the extent to which a person has read; literary knowledge: a man of wide reading.</li><li>matter read or for reading: a novel that makes good reading.</li><li>the form or version of a given passage in a particular text: the various readings of a line in Shakespeare.</li><li>an instance or occasion in which a text or other matter is read or performed, usually without elaborate preparation and often as a means of testing its merits: The playwright wants to have a reading of the play for prospective producers.</li><li>an interpretation given to anything: What is your reading of the situation?</li><li>the indication of a graduated instrument: The reading is 101.2°F.</li></ul><p><strong>Adjective</strong></p><ul><li>pertaining to or used for reading: reading glasses.</li><li>given to reading: the reading public.</li></ul>