auction
Americannoun
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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)
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
- auctionable adjective
- auctionary adjective
- proauction adjective
- unauctioned adjective
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
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.
Britain announced Wednesday it had secured a record amount of offshore wind power capacity in its latest auction, as the government pushes to meet its ambitious 2030 decarbonisation goals.
From Barron's
The 8.4GW secured at this latest auction just about keeps the offshore wind target in reach, several analysts have told the BBC.
From BBC
We had already spent the morning at an auction, where she bought up exotic trinkets to use in her charade as Madam L. L. Lucille.
From Literature
The Invincibles have won the men's competition for the past three years, but their squad was broken up following the introduction of an auction format this season.
From BBC
RR Auction said it couldn’t share the names of the consignors on the check and some of the other auction items.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
