auction
Americannoun
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auctions
plural
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Also called public sale. a publicly held sale at which property or goods are sold to the highest bidder.
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Cards.
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(in bridge or certain other games) the competitive bidding to fix a contract that a player or players undertake to fulfill.
verb (used with object)
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auctions,
present (3rd person singular)
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auctioned,
past participle, past
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auctioning
present participle
noun
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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
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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
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See auction bridge
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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auctionsimple
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auctionssimple
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have auctionedperfect
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has auctionedperfect
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am auctioningprogressive
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are auctioningprogressive
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is auctioningprogressive
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have been auctioningperfect progressive
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has been auctioningperfect progressive
Past
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auctionedsimple
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had auctionedperfect
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was auctioningprogressive
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were auctioningprogressive
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had been auctioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of auction
1585–95; < Latin auctiōn- (stem of auctiō ) an increase, especially in the bidding at a sale, equivalent to auct ( us ) increased, past participle of augēre ( aug- increase + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
In an auction, items are sold without price tags — whoever bids the highest gets to buy it, whether it’s a painting, a car, or a set of old dishes. You can hold an auction, or auction something. You might have seen auction scenes in classy old movies where the characters bid on paintings by politely raising their hands as the auctioneer calls out a price. Auctions aren’t always high-fallutin’, though — many cities auction off cars they’ve confiscated from criminals.
Vocabulary lists containing auction
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Treasury is expected to leave coupon auction sizes unchanged in Wednesday’s quarterly refunding announcement, said Andrew Wells, CIO at SanJac Alpha.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
“From where advertisers sit, Google’s search auction keeps getting more expensive as AI changes how people search,” Andy Hendricks, head of search at Grey Matter, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
The Ministry of Finance is slated to auction 10-year government bonds Thursday, testing investor demand as markets assess the prospect of higher borrowing costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Bailey has asked that the auction should not go ahead, or, if it does, that it be in Belcher's name rather than Siobhan's.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
As the artifact’s seller made sure to point out in his auction listing, if you used the tablet’s power in conjunction with the Scoreboard, it arguably became the most valuable artifact in the entire OASIS.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
The auction of "Jodi" comes as some scientists warn that auctions could herald a new era in fossil collecting by the ultra-rich.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
It argued that thousands end up at slaughter auctions each year.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Importantly, there also were hopes that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent might signal he’s considering cutting the size of auctions for 20- and 30-year Treasurys.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Solid 10-year and 30-year auctions over consecutive days show there is a level where buyers step in.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
During his father’s last few years Joe had gone with him often up to Colorado, up to the auctions in Monte Vista and Alamosa and other towns in the San Luis Valley.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
His collection was auctioned off at Ewbank's in Surrey on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
A week earlier, the U.S. government auctioned $39 billion of 10-year Treasurys after yields had surged above 5.36%.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Princess Diana's famous "revenge dress" that she wore on the evening that then-Prince Charles made a public admission of adultery is to be auctioned in New York in December.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The two companies decided to change the way the figurines were auctioned to avoid the gouging narrative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Then everything went amiss when he discovered that his memorabilia had been auctioned off; it was as if he’d lost not just old letters and score sheets, but a part of his inner being.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Treasury is auctioning $19 billion in 10-year Treasury inflation-protected securities, or TIPS.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Amy Winehouse's father must pay just under £1m to two of his daughter's friends after a failed High Court claim over the auctioning of the late singer's items.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Germany will be the only scheduled bond issuer, launching a new October 2031-dated federal note, or Bobl, on Tuesday and auctioning May 2041- and May 2047-dated bunds on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The settlement comes three months after federal prosecutors filed the lawsuit, accusing the company of illegally selling, auctioning or disposing of vehicles owned by SCRA-protected service members.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
I earned a decent amount of money each month by selling commercial time on my POV channel and by auctioning off any unneeded magic items, armor, or weapons I acquired during my travels.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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