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Glite Dictionary
to read from cover to cover

to read from cover to cover

1 3.4
To read every page of a book or magazine from start to finish
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : leer de principio a fin
  • I was so captivated by the story that I couldn't help but read from cover to cover the magazine.

Examples

  • There are some programming books that I've read from cover to cover repeatedly; there are others that I have dipped into many times, reading a chapter or so at a time.

    Blog text (20)

  • But it is a very unusual reference book—the kind you could read from cover to cover in an evening or two, and would willingly and happily.

    Blog text (31)

  • She spent the weekend relaxing and reading from cover to cover the novel.

  • Many readers enjoy the thrill of reading from cover to cover a good book in one sitting.

Synonyms

to peruse
vsto read from cover to cover
32 7.0

To read something slowly and carefully to understand it

focuses on finishing the whole item thoroughly rather than close inspection
to pore over
vsto read from cover to cover
28 5.5

To study things like books or papers carefully to find information

is broader, involving completing the entire item for completeness not study
to overread
vsto read from cover to cover
4.6

To read something again carefully to find mistakes

focuses on completing the entire work once without repetition

How Thorough

to study
∞ 1.0
to read from cover to cover
1 3.4
to skim
1 2.7
to scan
127 2.7

Surface Forms

read from cover to cover infinitive
read from cover to cover past
read from cover to cover past participle
reading from cover to cover present participle
reads from cover to cover third person singular

Morphology

read + from + cover + to + cover

The meaning is directly built from the constituents: 'read' plus the spatial/completive pattern 'from ... to ...' and 'cover' (book cover) clearly indicates reading from the front to the back of a book. A B1 learner who knows the words 'read', 'from', 'to' and 'cover' will readily infer that this means reading the entire book, so the expression is compositional and predictable.

Etymology

Read from cover to cover comes from the clear picture of someone starting at the front cover and reading every page until the back cover. That's why it means 'to read the whole book'.