audit

American  

[aw-dit] / ˈɔ dɪt /

noun

1. an official examination and verification of accounts and records, especially of financial accounts.

2. a report or statement reflecting an audit; a final statement of account.

3. the inspection or examination of a building or other facility to evaluate or improve its appropriateness, safety, efficiency, or the like.

   An energy audit can suggest ways to reduce home fuel bills.

4. Archaic. a judicial hearing.

5. Obsolete. an audience.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to make an audit of; examine (accounts, records, etc.) for purposes of verification.

   The accountants audited the company's books at the end of the fiscal year.

2. to attend (classes, lectures, etc.) as an auditor.

3. to make an audit of (a building or other facility) to evaluate or improve its safety, efficiency, or the like.

verb (used without object)

1. to examine and verify an account or accounts by reference to vouchers.

audit British  

/ ˈɔːdɪt /

noun

1. 1. an inspection, correction, and verification of business accounts, conducted by an independent qualified accountant

   2. ( as modifier )

      audit report

2. an audited account

3. any thoroughgoing check or examination

4. archaic a hearing

---

verb

1. to inspect, correct, and certify (accounts, etc)

2. to attend (classes, etc) as an auditor

audit Cultural  

1. The examination by an outside party of the accounts of an individual or corporation.

---

Other Word Forms

• auditable
  adjective
• reaudit
  noun
• unaudited
  adjective
• well-audited
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of audit

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English audite, from Latin audītus “the sense or act of hearing,” noun derivative of audīre “to hear”

Explanation

An audit is a thorough counting, review, or assessment of a situation or collection of things. Before baking cookies, you'd better make an audit of the ingredients available to see whether there is enough sugar and butter. The most common use of the word audit is with the Internal Revenue Service, which sometimes performs an audit of a taxpayer’s finances to see whether that taxpayer has accurately reported his or her income. It can also be used in this context as a verb. It's easy to get nervous if the IRS is planning to audit you! You can also audit a class if you attend but don't pay for it. Just don't think that you'll get credit towards graduation from that.

Example Sentences

Some Big Four firm leaders estimate that AI agents will contribute 20% to 30% of a typical financial audit by 2029, essentially the proportion of the human effort that will be removed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The automation of entry-level audit work, coupled with the loosening of CPA licensing laws, is upending traditional accounting training and forcing universities to reinvent how they train the next generation of professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Raj Sharma, global managing partner for Growth & Innovation at EY, has rolled out an agentic AI platform, called EY Canvas, to facilitate the company’s core global audit business, based on Microsoft AI products.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Comer has requested that Altman turn over all documents and communication related to that audit committee.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

A recent audit discovered that the police in Atlanta were radically underreporting crime since the early 1990s.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• analysis
• check
• examination
• investigation
• review
• scrutiny
• survey
• verification