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• audio
  audio

  adjective

  designating an electronic apparatus using audio frequencies.
• audio-
  audio-

  a combining form used in the formation of compound words, with the meanings: “sound within the range of human hearing” (audiometer ); “hearing” (audiology ); “sound reproduction” (audiophile ).

audio

¹ American  

[aw-dee-oh] / ˈɔ diˌoʊ /

adjective

1. Electronics. designating an electronic apparatus using audio frequencies.

   audio amplifier.

2. of, relating to, or employed in the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound.

3. of or relating to frequencies or signals in the audible range.

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noun

1. Television.

   1. the audio elements of television (distinguished from video).

   2. the circuits in a receiver for reproducing sound.

   3. the audio part of a television broadcast.

2. the field of sound recording, transmission, reception, and reproduction.

audio- ² American  

1. a combining form used in the formation of compound words, with the meanings: “sound within the range of human hearing” (audiometer ); “hearing” (audiology ); “sound reproduction” (audiophile ).

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audio ¹ British  

/ ˈɔːdɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. of or relating to sound or hearing

   audio frequency

2. relating to or employed in the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound

3. of, concerned with, or operating at audio frequencies

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audio- ² British  

combining form

1. indicating hearing or sound

   audiometer

   audiovisual

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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.

Example Sentences

In the quiz below, listen to each audio prompt and type in your best guess for how each word is spelled.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

He cited the company’s growth in streaming video, audio and international markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

The scientists' immediate reactions were captured in the expedition audio recordings.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

I sometimes use the transcription platform Rev, which offers an A.I. transcript you can scrub through along with the audio.

From Slate • May 24, 2026

He also said that Barling stayed up all hours of the night, usually in the kitchen, flipping through books, listening to audio recordings of birdcalls, and speaking his notes into a handheld tape recorder.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

Related Words

• TV set
• box
• station
• video