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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

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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. )

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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

He went on and on, speaking to the ceiling, the floor, the saltshaker, to an invisible audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Some comedians like to say they give their audience a “night off” from the world.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The event promises glamour -- replete with champagne-quaffing celebrities -- set against the backdrop of Rwanda's verdant hills and rich wildlife, all broadcast to a global audience.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

“You just disappointed half of the audience or more,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The ignored wind, its feelings hurt, had already left in search of another audience.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

But we may have underestimated how far the world’s wealthiest man and his ilk would go to prevent audiences from seeing it.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Her research found that large Olympic visitor numbers do not necessarily translate into higher museum attendance, underscoring the importance of local audiences and programming before and beyond the competitions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

His audiences up until October 20 have been cancelled.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

“We want to signal to our audiences that there is momentum here, there is modernity here, there’s freshness here,” Hill said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Good entertainers try to make each performance seem special, but you need to remember that the show they’re putting on for you is the same one they’ve put on for hundreds of other audiences.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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Related Words

• congregation
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• gallery
• gathering
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