Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to read my mind

to read my mind

23 6.0
To know what someone is thinking without them saying it
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : leer la mente
  • It's amazing how well you can read my mind; you always know exactly what I'm thinking.
  • just read my mind
  • read my mind again
  • try to read my mind

So I turn around and this guy, this guy read my mind from front to back.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • "Oh, so now you think you can read my mind?"

    Fiction book (1999)

  • As if he'd read my mind, Ortega dropped his gaze.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Yes, you read my mind.

    Love Me (2025)

  • Did you just read my mind?

    Red Lights (2012)

  • You just read my mind!

    Madagascar (2005)

  • Oh yeah, well, you can just read my mind!

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I'd swear you read my mind.

    Bloodsuckers (2005)

  • You read my mind.

    Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970)

  • "Gets old quick, doesn't it?" Henry was reading my mind again, and I nodded.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Playfully, I stamped my foot and heard Henry laugh as he seemed to read my mind.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

to read mind
vsto read my mind
  • Informal
69 7.7

To know what another person is thinking without them saying it

also senses feelings and makes an intuitive or accurate guess

Antonyms

to misinterpret
23 4.2

To understand something in the wrong way

How Accurate

to read my mind
  • Informal
23 6.0
to get the point
  • Informal
51 2.7
to guess
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

read my mind infinitive
read my mind past
read my mind past participle
reading my mind present participle
reads my mind third person singular

Morphology

read + mine + mind

The meaning 'to intuitively know what someone is thinking' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'read' (make sense of signs or behaviour) with 'my mind' (the speaker's thoughts); 'read' is here used metaphorically but in a straightforward, compositional way. This metaphorical extension is common cross-linguistically and follows predictable patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Read my mind comes from the simple image of opening another person's mind like a book to read the thoughts inside. That's why it means 'to know or guess what someone is thinking' without being told.