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Synonyms

auctioneer

American  
[awk-shuh-neer] / ˌɔk ʃəˈnɪər /

noun

  1. a person who conducts sales by auction.

verb (used with object)

  1. to auction (something).

auctioneer British  
/ ˌɔːkʃəˈnɪə /

noun

  1. a person who conducts an auction by announcing the lots and controlling the bidding

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to sell by auction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of auctioneer

First recorded in 1700–10; auction + -eer

Explanation

An auctioneer is a person who manages an auction, or a public sale at which people can bid on items. It's exciting to win the bidding at an auction and hear the auctioneer shout, "Sold!" It's the job of an auctioneer to organize the goods for sale at an auction, as well as to oversee the bidding, often encouraging bidders to compete with each other to drive the price up. Some auctioneers call out items and prices in a distinctive, rapid, sing-song voice. Auctioneer comes from auction, which has a Latin root: auctionem, "increasing sale or public sale," from augere, "to increase."

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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.

The collection will be sold across multiple lots at auction by Irita Marriott Auctioneer and Valuers on the 10 and 11 September in Melbourne, Derbyshire.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said he was "astonished" when the documents surfaced during a valuation event in Nottinghamshire.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2025

Auctioneer Propstore, based in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, said more than 2,000 global fans and collectors bid on more than 170 lots.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2025

Auctioneer Craig Meier, a spokesperson for the event that donated its proceeds towards agricultural-based education efforts for local youths, said the guitar-smashing was "a funny, light-hearted thing."

From Salon • Oct. 2, 2024

Auctioneer Gilmour let a few moments run by.

From Topsy-Turvy by Verne, Jules

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.