read someone's lips

verb

To discern what someone is saying by watching the shape of the mouth rather than by hearing the sounds of the words.

“Read my lips. We are not going to the park today, and that is final.”

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Meanings

verbread someone's lips (third-person singular simple present reads someone's lips, present participle reading someone's lips, simple past and past participle read someone's lips)

present singular third person reads someone's lips · participle present reading someone's lips

  1. To discern what someone is saying by watching the shape of the mouth rather than by hearing the sounds of the words.

    Deaf people may be able to read people's lips, but it's not a foolproof means of communication.

  2. idiomaticTo pay close attention (often imperative).

    Read my lips. We are not going to the park today, and that is final.

Translations

Finnish lukea huulilta
  • lukea huuliltadiscern what somebody is saying
Polish czytać z ust, czytać z ruchu warg
  • czytać z ustdiscern what somebody is saying
  • czytać z ruchu wargdiscern what somebody is saying
Swedish läsa på läppar, läsa någons läppar
  • läsa på läppardiscern what somebody is saying
  • läsa någons läppardiscern what somebody is saying
Cite this entry
APA

read someone's lips. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/read%20someone's%20lips

MLA

“read someone's lips.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/read%20someone's%20lips. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “read someone's lips,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/read%20someone's%20lips.

Source: read someone's lips on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.