audio
adjective
designating an electronic apparatus using audio frequencies.
audio
1 American
[aw-dee-oh]
/ ˈɔ diˌoʊ /
adjective
-
Electronics. designating an electronic apparatus using audio frequencies.
audio amplifier.
-
of, relating to, or employed in the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound.
-
of or relating to frequencies or signals in the audible range.
noun
-
audios
plural
-
Television.
-
the audio elements of television (distinguished from video).
-
the circuits in a receiver for reproducing sound.
-
the audio part of a television broadcast.
-
-
the field of sound recording, transmission, reception, and reproduction.
audio-
2
American
audio
1
British
/ ˈɔːdɪˌəʊ /
noun
-
of or relating to sound or hearing
audio frequency
-
relating to or employed in the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound
-
of, concerned with, or operating at audio frequencies
audio-
2
British
combining form
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of audio1
First recorded in 1920–25; independent use of audio-
Origin of audio-2
< Latin audī- (stem of audīre to hear) + -o-
Explanation
Audio means sound. If you turn up the volume and turn down the bass on your TV, you adjust the audio. The noun audio always refers to what you can hear, although there are several different ways to use it. If you covet expensive speakers for your stereo, you wish for new audio equipment, and when someone complains about the sound at a movie theater he might say, "The audio is way too loud." Audio was first used as a prefix, in words like audio-frequency, and came to mean "recorded sound" in the 1930s.
Vocabulary lists containing audio
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
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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.
See Examples For:
You’ll probably learn about it through leaked audio soon.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026
Spotify on Thursday said it renewed its deal with Joe Rogan, who leads the audio company’s most popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The company said it will also enhance its Page Match feature, allowing users to switch easily from a print or digital book to its audio version.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The new plans include longer opening hours, an audio guide, additional seating and clearer signage.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Maybe it was a Blackberry or a really high-tech, tiny computer with an incredible audio system.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Along the way, the camera-equipped, audio- and video-recording devices have become a privacy lightning rod.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The lawyers propose that the evaluations be audio- and video-recorded and last eight hours for adults and four to six hours for children.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2021
The meeting was audio- and video-recorded by Nike’s lawyers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2019
At Bridgewater, most meetings and many common areas are audio- or video-recorded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2016
Americans this year will spend some $35 billion on records, audio- and videotapes and CDs, almost as much as they will spend on Japanese hardware manufactured to play them.
From Time Magazine Archive
Musk said blue-tick subscribers would get priority in replies, mentions and search, and be able to post longer videos and audios, while dealing with half as many ads.
From Reuters ● Nov. 1, 2022
We never had the opportunity to hear real crash audios, but they gave us transcripts and technical info and a lot of scenarios we put in the story.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2022
Piqué’s Kosmos group would be paid four million euros per tournament by the Saudi organizers for negotiating the six-year agreement, according to El Confidencial newspaper, which released the audios on Monday.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2022
I am always looking for good fiction audios and would appreciate your suggestions.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2022
Sabo eased himself from the seat, tuning up his audios to their highest sensitivity, moving over to Brownie.
From Derelict by Alan Edward Nourse
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.
