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Meetings & Communicationpre-readnoun|verb · /ˈpriː.red/

How to Say "pre-read" at Work

In simple English

In tech workplaces, a pre-read is essential for efficient meetings. Project managers, team leads, and stakeholders often send pre-read documents—such as proposals, design documents, performance reports, or status updates—to participants before a meeting. This allows everyone to familiarize themselves with the content beforehand, so the actual meeting can focus on discussion, decisions, and problem-solving rather than information delivery. Pre-reads are especially common in software engineering for design reviews, architecture discussions, and sprint planning. When someone says they need time to pre-read materials, they are asking for time to review the documents before joining a discussion. This practice saves time and makes meetings more productive because participants arrive informed and ready to contribute meaningfully.

Understand what pre-read means and how it is used in tech meetings to improve preparation and efficiency.

Part of Meetings & Standups in the Knowledge Base.

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness4/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓Can you send the pre-read by EOD?
✓I need to pre-read this before the sync.
✓Did everyone get a chance to pre-read the deck?

Real examples

in a standup

"I will pre-read the design doc before tomorrow's architecture review so we can dive straight into feedback."

in a project meeting

"The pre-read includes the Q3 roadmap, budget allocation, and timeline. Please review it before Wednesday."

in an email

"Attached is the pre-read for the stakeholder sync—please familiarize yourself with the key metrics before 2 PM."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Do not confuse with simply reading something. Pre-read implies reading materials in advance before a meeting or discussion to prepare. It is not used for general reading or review after an event.

✕We need to pre-read the code after we finish coding.
✓We need to pre-read the code before we start the code review.— Pre-read means reading beforehand, not after. It is preparation, not follow-up review.
✕I am pre-reading emails every morning.
✓I read emails every morning. I pre-read the agenda before the meeting.— Pre-read is specifically for advance preparation before meetings or discussions, not routine daily reading.
✕The pre-read was very long and boring.
✓The pre-read materials were comprehensive but challenging to review.— Pre-read is usually uncountable or used as an adjective modifying the noun (pre-read materials). Avoid treating it as a simple object.

Other forms

noun

pre-read

"The pre-read for the architecture review is available on Confluence."

verb

pre-read

"Please pre-read the proposal before the board meeting tomorrow."

adjective

pre-read

"All pre-read documents should be submitted by Friday."

Often used with

send a pre-readTo distribute preparation materials before a meeting; common in meeting coordination
review the pre-readTo go through the materials sent in advance; what participants are expected to do
pre-read materialsThe actual documents or content provided for advance review
pre-read packetA collection of documents bundled together for advance review
pre-read documentA single document provided before a meeting for preparation

Similar words

background materialMore formal; emphasizes the foundational nature of the content
preparation materialMore general; less specific to the advance-reading context
advance materialsEmphasizes that materials are provided ahead of time

Opposites

ad hoc discussionunprepared meeting

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. You want to ask your team to read the design document before tomorrow's meeting. Which sounds most natural?

Complete the sentence

2. The VP asked everyone to _______ the quarterly report at least one day before the board presentation.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses 'pre-read' incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this sentence using 'pre-read': 'Please read these slides about the new API before we have our technical discussion on Monday.'

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "pre-read" in a standup this week?

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