auction
Also called public sale. a publicly held sale at which property or goods are sold to the highest bidder.
Cards.
(in bridge or certain other games) the competitive bidding to fix a contract that a player or players undertake to fulfill.
to sell by auction (often followed by off): He auctioned off his furniture.
Origin of auction
1Other words from auction
- auc·tion·a·ble, adjective
- auc·tion·ar·y, adjective
- pro·auc·tion, adjective
- un·auc·tioned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use auction in a sentence
At currency auctions, it traded at around 64.45 rubles to the dollar and 78.8 to the euro.
Initially these were individuals “from higher net worth circles,” he says, especially as the site launched with benefit auctions.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty | Tim Teeman | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“It is extraordinary that in one week of contemporary art auctions almost $2 billion worth of art was sold,” he says.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty | Tim Teeman | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTGilkes says the charity auctions Paddle8 does are “extremely important” for this reason.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty | Tim Teeman | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn the case of many auctions, however, the papyri are completely unprovenanced.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts | Candida Moss | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the same year we meet for the first time, vendue masters and public auctions.
A short history of Rhode Island | George Washington GreeneTwo great evils came to light on the first institution of auctions; one was due to the buyers, and the other to the auctioneers.
Prices of Books | Henry B. WheatleyThe frequenters of auctions seem to have been very jealous of being bid against by any one interested in the sale.
Prices of Books | Henry B. WheatleyIf the question be asked, Is it better to pick up furniture at auctions or to buy it in shops?
How to be Happy Though Married | E. J. Hardy.There are auctions, you know, and people come from all over the world looking for a chance to buy the rarest pieces.
A Reversible Santa Claus | Meredith Nicholson
British Dictionary definitions for auction
/ (ˈɔːkʃən) /
a public sale of goods or property, esp one in which prospective purchasers bid against each other until the highest price is reached: Compare Dutch auction
the competitive calls made in bridge and other games before play begins, undertaking to win a given number of tricks if a certain suit is trumps
See auction bridge
(tr often foll by off) to sell by auction
Origin of auction
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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