Definition of "read"

During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]

1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond‎

She reads Playgirl magazine, goes to a male-strip joint and then complains about sexual harassment on the job.

1982, Robert M. Evenson, “"Liberated" Woman"”, in The Cincinnati Enquirer

On this occasion he was carrying in his right hand a copy of the English-language China News, an odd touch because the President did not read English.

1983, James C. H. Shen, “A Round of Calls”, in Robert Myers, editor, The U.S. & Free China: How the U.S. Sold Out Its Ally‎, Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books Ltd., page 112

In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […] and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.

He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement. […]

1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎

In Livy, it is nearly certain that for Pylleon we should read Pteleon, as this place is mentioned in connection with Antron.

1832, John Lemprière et al., Bibliotheca classica, Seventh Edition, W. E. Dean, page 263

Eliminate illogical (read: stupid) answer choices.

2009, Suzee Vlk et al., The GRE Test for Dummies, 6th edition, Wiley Publishing, page 191

Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?

1968, Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey, spoken by Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea)

Crabbe wanted him to go to England, to read for a degree there.

1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 94

Snapping, we are told, comes from reading, or exposing hidden flaws in a person's life, and out of reading comes shade […]

1997, Framing Culture: Africanism, Sexuality and Performance, page 186 (also discussing Paris is Burning)

CB [a black gay person being quoted]: "So, one time I read him and we were standing downstairs at the front desk in the dorm and I read him and there was this little bell […] ." In the first example, the interviewee [CB] used snapping to read his white friend in a playful way, […] .

2003, Philip Auslander, Performance: Media and technology, page 179

[One] assumes that such language contests are racially motivated—black folks talking back to white folks. However, the ball world makes it clear that blacks can read each other too.

2013, Queer Looks, page 114 (discussing Paris is Burning and "the ball world")

But now, faire Ladie, comfort to you make, / And read […] / That short reuenge the man may ouertake […]

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie

[T]herfore, I red the [thee], gette the [thee] to gods vvorde and thereby trye all doctrine, and agaynſte that receaue no thinge.

1528 October 12 (Gregorian calendar), Willyam Tyndale [i.e., William Tyndale], “Of the Sacramentes”, in The Obedience of [a] Christen Man, […], [London: […] Thomas Ranalde and Wyllyam Hyll, and are to be solde […] by Rychard Iugge […]], published , folio clvii, verso

This is the wandring wood, this Errours den, / A monster vile, whom God and man does hate: / Therefore I read beware.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, page 6

But read how art thou named, and of what kin.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie

One newswoman here lets magazines for a penny a read.

1879, Frederick James Furnivall, letter to the editor of "The Spectator"

And when he finishes supper / Planning to have a read at the evening paper / It's Put a screw in this wall— / He has no time at all […]

1958, Philip Larkin, Self's the Man

In other words, the system can do 1200 reads per second with no writes, the average write is twice as slow as the average read, and the relationship is linear.

2006, MySQL administrator's guide and language reference, page 393

[As] Corey points out, "if you and I are both black queens then we can't call each other black queens because that's not a read. That's a [fact]."

1997, Framing Culture: Africanism, Sexuality and Performance, page 186 (also discussing Paris is Burning)

Like most African-American women, Pearlie Mae uses snapping in many of the same ways that black gay men use it: to accentuate a read.

2003, Philip Auslander, Performance: Media and technology, page 185

I learned that it was acceptable to be witty, especially if you were one of the wearblackallthetime, deconstructivist, radical, feministbitchydiva girls who could give a harsh read (i.e., critique) or throw shade […] .

2013, bell hooks, Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom