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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

Podcasts are just one arm of Spotify’s business, as the audio giant has over 100 million songs and 700,000 audiobooks on its platform.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

Ramos said the audio was about smearing his work, adding "no Mexican authority took responsibility for that audio."

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

“We aren’t fighting against the government,” said Comanche, a Mayitos lieutenant, in a widely heard audio posted on social media.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Ultimately, video and audio documentation is expected to be preserved in the State Archives.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

To give you some idea of the difference that articulation makes, though, here are audio examples of a violin playing a legato54 and a staccato55 passage.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• TV set
• box
• station
• video