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. )

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

The audience gives a round of applause after the premiere of “Choo Choo Revue.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Barker has over 500,000 followers across her Tik Tok and Instagram and said very quickly her audience "became these people with these symptoms".

From BBC • May 20, 2026

The broad audience reach and the nightly airing of these shows have ensured that the jokes create a broad interpretive community that translates comedic barbs into collective consciousness.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

The Barron’s Investor Circle team will look at investing amid the AI frenzy, and take audience questions.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

And when her audience dwindled and died, her wallpaper peeled and her bricks crumbled, many believed she, too, had perished.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

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