auction
[ awk-shuhn ]
/ ˈɔk ʃən /
noun
Also called public sale. a publicly held sale at which property or goods are sold to the highest bidder.
Cards.
- auction bridge.
- (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)
to sell by auction (often followed by off): He auctioned off his furniture.
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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
OTHER WORDS FROM auction
auc·tion·a·ble, adjectiveauc·tion·ar·y, adjectivepro·auc·tion, adjectiveun·auc·tioned, adjectiveWords nearby auction
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for auction
British Dictionary definitions for auction
auction
/ (ˈɔːkʃən) /
noun
a public sale of goods or property, esp one in which prospective purchasers bid against each other until the highest price is reachedCompare Dutch auction
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
See auction bridge
verb
(tr often foll by off) to sell by auction
Word Origin for auction
C16: from Latin auctiō an increasing, from augēre to increase
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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