audition

American  

[aw-dish-uhn] / ɔˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

• auditions
  plural

1. a trial hearing given to a singer, actor, or other performer to test suitability for employment, professional training or competition, etc.

2. a reading or other simplified rendering of a theatrical work, performed before a potential backer, producer, etc.

3. the act, sense, or power of hearing.

4. something that is heard.

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verb (used with or without object)

• auditions,
  present (3rd person singular)
• auditioned,
  past participle,  past
• auditioning
  present participle

1. to try or compete in an audition.

   to audition aspiring actors; to audition for the leading role.

audition British  

/ ɔːˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. a test at which a performer or musician is asked to demonstrate his ability for a particular role, etc

2. the act, sense, or power of hearing

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verb

1. to judge by means of or be tested in an audition

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• auditioner
  noun
• reaudition
  noun
• unauditioned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• auditions
  plural

Participles

• auditioning
  present
• auditioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• audition
  simple
• auditions
  simple
• have auditioned
  perfect
• has auditioned
  perfect
• am auditioning
  progressive
• are auditioning
  progressive
• is auditioning
  progressive
• have been auditioning
  perfect progressive
• has been auditioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• auditioned
  simple
• had auditioned
  perfect
• was auditioning
  progressive
• were auditioning
  progressive
• had been auditioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will audition
  simple
• will have auditioned
  perfect
• will be auditioning
  progressive
• will have been auditioning
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of audition

1590–1600; (< Middle French ) < Latin audītiōn- (stem of audītiō hearing). See auditive, -ion

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Explanation

An audition is a tryout for a role in a movie, orchestra, or play. If you bomb the audition, you probably won't make it into the cast. When describing a tryout in which an actor, singer, musician, or dancer tries to prove that he or she is talented enough to earn a part in a show, audition is used as a noun. The word can also be used as a verb, as in, "I auditioned for the part of Peter Pan, but every time I tried to fly I fell flat on my face." Audition shares a common heritage with audience, the group of people who will eventually watch the show for which a performer has auditioned. Both words come from the Middle French term meaning "power of hearing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

audition auditions auditioned auditioning

During the audition process she was given time off for the VisionQuest auditions, even though she could not tell her manager what the auditions were for.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

But instead of the traditional cutthroat audition setting, where every actor silently sizes up the competition, the Brook Arts Center fosters a warm environment.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Moore plays Mona, a meek, thoroughly unseen wife and mother who impulsively decides to audition for a community theater musical despite having no experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

When I landed my first TV audition, my agent recommended his favorite acting coach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Out of curiosity,” he said, “did you audition for the musical?”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

In the fourth round of auditions, she also did a northern accent and American.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Her work in Hollywood initially involved making the journey from the desert to L.A. for auditions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Cutting to nine years later, when it was like, you can go into auditions and be gay, people want to hear that, in fact, they’re only casting for gay roles now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Her mum's a big fan of the Netflix series, which follows the cheerleaders through gruelling auditions and training regimes as they compete for their spot dancing in one of the world's best known squads.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Someone he’d met years ago during one of his auditions was staging a production of A Raisin in Sun.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

On a double date with her husband and their best friends, Mona, beaming, tells the group that she’s auditioned for “a musical show.”

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Mitte, who grew up in Louisiana, was a young teen when he auditioned for the breakthrough role after moving to Los Angeles to support his younger sister's acting career in 2005.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

I told him, auditioned and got the role.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Earlier this year Variety reported that stage actor Tom Francis had auditioned, external for the role.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Castillo does not volunteer to come forward—she just sits there, radiating bad energy—and Volpe has to finally call on her after most of the others have auditioned.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

She’s more interested in what simply auditioning made her feel, how she came alive, if only for a brief few moments until Jerry cut her off.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Everyone was waiting for someone, auditioning for something or trying on a new version of life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Casting director Jennifer Venditti saw the appearance and contacted his family about auditioning for Euphoria.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Watt isn’t just filling in for Tony Romo during his leave—he’s auditioning to be CBS’s top NFL game analyst.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Paganini was hopping in bizarre patterns around the living room carpet, periodically flinging himself into the air and spinning as if auditioning for a Broadway show.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

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Related Words

• demo
• tryout

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