idiom · neutral
read the room
/riːd ðə ruːm/READ the ROOM
to understand the mood of a group so you can act appropriately
Examples
“Before making a joke, he should learn to read the room.”
“She read the room and decided not to bring up the controversial topic.”
“If you can't read the room, you might embarrass yourself.”
Band 8 sentence
“A skilful negotiator will read the room carefully, adjusting tone and pace according to subtle cues from the audience.”
Collocations
- learn to read the room
- fail to read the room
Word family
Common mistakes
read room→read the room
I can read the room well, so I joked at the meeting→I can read the room well, so I didn't joke at the meeting
Say it for a higher band
5sense the situation→6gauge the mood→7+read the room
Synonyms
sense the atmosphere
Easily confused
read the atmosphere
“She tried to read the atmosphere before making her proposal.”
Related words
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In Communication
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