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Synonyms

auctioneer

American  
[awk-shuh-neer] / ˌɔk ʃəˈnɪər /

noun

  1. a person who conducts sales by auction.

verb (used with object)

  1. to auction (something).

auctioneer British  
/ ˌɔːkʃəˈnɪə /

noun

  1. a person who conducts an auction by announcing the lots and controlling the bidding

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to sell by auction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of auctioneer

First recorded in 1700–10; auction + -eer

Explanation

An auctioneer is a person who manages an auction, or a public sale at which people can bid on items. It's exciting to win the bidding at an auction and hear the auctioneer shout, "Sold!" It's the job of an auctioneer to organize the goods for sale at an auction, as well as to oversee the bidding, often encouraging bidders to compete with each other to drive the price up. Some auctioneers call out items and prices in a distinctive, rapid, sing-song voice. Auctioneer comes from auction, which has a Latin root: auctionem, "increasing sale or public sale," from augere, "to increase."

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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.

“What you’re looking for as an auctioneer is someone who’s truly fearless onstage,” says auctioneer Lydia Fenet.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

He regularly supported other local causes hosting major island events, often acting as an auctioneer.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

Then as he droned on like a dentist drill hitting bone, he began to sound like a South Carolina auctioneer at a county fair.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

The work, of Jesus Christ on the cross and painted in 1613, was unearthed by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in a Paris mansion last year.

From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025

The auctioneer gave her a sour look but did not disallow the bid.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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.