audience

American  

[aw-dee-uhns] / ˈɔ di əns /

noun

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

• proaudience adjective

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. )

Example Sentences

Last year, he beamed himself into the WEF from the White House, appearing before an audience of largely bewildered European executives just two days after his inauguration.

From BBC

Now and then, a press tour will take Bradley Cooper to Paris, where he often speaks French in interviews, delighting a local crowd of starstruck French viewers and unsuspecting international audiences alike.

From Salon

With major releases on the horizon, both the studio and its audience will be watching closely to see if the franchise can thrive under its new leadership.

From Salon

The trauma, harrowing ordeals or deaths that are typically depicted onscreen, and that audiences have come to expect from queer TV and films, were refreshingly absent.

From Los Angeles Times

In another meeting, one board member felt it was "not a good idea" to tell "a wider audience" that the financial problems had been caused by coding errors.

From BBC

Related Words

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