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What were the large working-class audiences at 17th-century theaters called?

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audience

American  

[aw-dee-uhns] / ˈɔ di əns /

noun

• audiences
  plural

1. 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.

2. the persons reached by a book, radio or television broadcast, etc.; public.

   Some works of music have a wide and varied audience.

3. a regular public that manifests interest, support, enthusiasm, or the like; a following.

   Every art form has its audience.

4. opportunity to be heard; chance to speak to or before a person or group; a hearing.

5. a formal interview with a sovereign, high officer of government, or other high-ranking person.

   an audience with the pope.

6. the act of hearing, or attending to, words or sounds.

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audience British  

/ ˈɔːdɪəns /

noun

1. a group of spectators or listeners, esp at a public event such as a concert or play

2. the people reached by a book, film, or radio or television programme

3. the devotees or followers of a public entertainer, lecturer, etc; regular public

4. an opportunity to put one's point of view, such as a formal interview with a monarch or head of state

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• proaudience
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• audiences
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

audience audiences

Robin keeps up the pretence for their landlords, which created the comedy and made it acceptable watching for a pre-watershed 70s audience.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

After her conversation with Falchuk, Steinem was given the opportunity to share her final words alone, directly addressing the audience through the camera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

"A lot of people are going to get replaced, not just actors: crew members, visual effects supervisors," the 65-year-old, who picked up a lifetime achievement award in Venice on Wednesday, told the audience.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

This strategy has won over fans in their late teens or 20s, according to the data company Chartmetric, who make up the majority of Goth Babe’s audience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

It makes me feel like I’m there in the audience watching her compete and inside her brain and body, all at once.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Their music reached wider audiences through commercial recordings, folk festivals and live radio broadcasts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

In an era when short TikTok and YouTube videos are being blamed for eroding attention spans and fueling a reading crisis, social media, it transpires, is creating new audiences for the classics.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

This is evidently quite appealing, or mollifying, to many audiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

With higher ticket prices and more competition — not only with other touring bands but with the allures of home comforts — audiences need a bigger draw.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Members of Parliament were being confronted with the reality of slavery, just as audiences at Clarkson’s lectures were when he showed shackles and whips.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

Related Words

• congregation
• crowd
• gallery
• gathering
• market
• public