What Does "Read Someone's Lips" Mean?
"Read someone's lips" is an English idiom. It means "to observe and interpret the lip movements and expressions of someone to understand what they are saying."Examples in Sentences
Here are three examples of the idiom "read someone's lips" used in a sentence:- She watched his lips carefully, trying to read his lips as he spoke in a noisy environment.
- The news anchor's microphone malfunctioned, so viewers had to read her lips to understand the news report.
- In the silent film, viewers had to read the characters' lips to follow the dialogue.
What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words, if you were to translate "Read Someone's Lips" word for word, there is no guarantee the translation would help you to understand the meaning.An idiom often includes a cultural or historical context that makes it difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. A phrase is classified as an idiom when a direct translation of the words does not reveal the meaning. Most idioms rely on shared knowledge or experiences known only to a specific community.
A Quick Test
You now know what "read someone's lips" means, but are you good at English idioms? Let's see!
Gold
Silver
Bronze
- This test has questions.
- A correct answer is worth 5 points.
- You can get up to 5 bonus points for a speedy answer.
- Some questions demand more than one answer. You must get every part right.
- Beware! Wrong answers score 0 points.
- 🏆 If you beat one of the top 3 scores, you will be invited to apply for the Hall of Fame.
Scoring System
Guru (+)
Hero (+)
Captain (+)
Sergeant (+)
Recruit (+)
Guru (+)
Hero (+)
Captain (+)
Sergeant (+)
Recruit (+)
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
