first reading

American

noun

Parliamentary Procedure.

the reading of a bill when it is first introduced in a legislative body.

first reading British

noun

the introduction of a bill in a legislative assembly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of first reading

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The bill passed its first reading unanimously on 5 February but lawmakers failed to approve it as scheduled last week as they could not agree on how it should be applied.

From BBC

Irving is the writer who made me want to be a writer, and I have read and cherished his books since first reading this masterpiece as a young man.

From Los Angeles Times

Especially if decades, not just years, have passed between one’s first reading and the next; when the reader can’t help but wonder: Is this even the same book?

From Los Angeles Times

I devoured it on first reading but I just can’t surrender it to the shelf yet.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first reading L’Belle-Tividad gave was to a group of three of her friends, more than three years after her awakening.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023