audience
Americannoun
-
the group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert.
The audience was respectful of the speaker's opinion.
-
the persons reached by a book, radio or television broadcast, etc.; public.
Some works of music have a wide and varied audience.
-
a regular public that manifests interest, support, enthusiasm, or the like; a following.
Every art form has its audience.
-
opportunity to be heard; chance to speak to or before a person or group; a hearing.
-
a formal interview with a sovereign, high officer of government, or other high-ranking person.
an audience with the pope.
-
the act of hearing, or attending to, words or sounds.
noun
-
a group of spectators or listeners, esp at a public event such as a concert or play
-
the people reached by a book, film, or radio or television programme
-
the devotees or followers of a public entertainer, lecturer, etc; regular public
-
an opportunity to put one's point of view, such as a formal interview with a monarch or head of state
Grammar
See collective noun.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of audience
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin audientia “act of listening, group of listeners,” from audient-, stem of audiēns “hearing” (present participle of audīre “to hear”) + -ia -ia ( def. )
Explanation
An audience can be people watching a performance, or an opportunity to speak with someone important, like an audience with your favorite actor at a "meet and greet" event. The noun audience can describe all the people watching a performance, or the part of the general public interested in a specific type of information or entertainment. For example, the audience for a show about raising children might be parents or other care-givers. Finally, an audience can be a meeting or interview, like an audience with your school's principal.
Vocabulary lists containing audience
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Through the restructuring, BuzzFeed’s leaders said, the company will aim to grow its audience and bolster its positon in free streaming content.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has previously suggested if the bout were staged in Britain, it would have to start in the early hours of the morning to cater for the lucrative American television audience.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The platform given to Waters by the Heritage Foundation is prominent, but despite the efforts of The New York Times, her intended audience doesn’t seem to be interested.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Controversies such as a 2002 autopsy performed in London -- on camera and before an audience —- further fuelled his notoriety.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
An hour passed, and when the audience ran out of questions, Emily-the.bookstore-person got the line started, beginning with the first row.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
"Generative AI enables disinformation to be created at unprecedented scale, tailored to specific audiences, and disseminated with remarkable speed," an EU official said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Her singular vision transformed the course of contemporary art, and her legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists, scholars, and audiences around the world.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The BBC had already begun making programmes for South Asian audiences.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The Swedish singer Zara Larsson released her debut album more than a decade ago, but she’s finally won over American audiences with the hedonistic trance-pop of “Midnight Sun.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
How was classical music going to respond to this new, potentially fatal relationship between mass audiences and new genres that were irresistible to them?
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
