audit

American  

[aw-dit] / ˈɔ dɪt /

noun

• audits
  plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

• audits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• audited,
  past participle,  past
• auditing
  present participle

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)

• audits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• audited,
  past participle,  past
• auditing
  present participle

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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• audits
  plural

Participles

• auditing
  present
• audited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• audit
  simple
• audits
  simple
• have audited
  perfect
• has audited
  perfect
• am auditing
  progressive
• are auditing
  progressive
• is auditing
  progressive
• have been auditing
  perfect progressive
• has been auditing
  perfect progressive

Past

• audited
  simple
• had audited
  perfect
• was auditing
  progressive
• were auditing
  progressive
• had been auditing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will audit
  simple
• will have audited
  perfect
• will be auditing
  progressive
• will have been auditing
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

audit audits audited auditing

In response to cases of law enforcement officers across the country improperly accessing Flock for personal reasons, the company rolled out a voluntary audit tool in April.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

That resulted in the new audit feature for Flock, which was released as an option earlier this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Abbott, who is up for re-election, called for a comprehensive audit to get more information on each data center project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The charges stem from last July, when Hilliard was administrator of the university's Nike Elite program and officials notified the internal audit department about concerns with Hilliard.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

But because the audit studies can’t measure the actual life outcomes of the fictitious DeShawn Williams versus Jake Williams, they can’t assess the broader impact of a distinctively black name.

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

Most obviously, it’s exceedingly rare, as countless studies and state audits have found.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Larger manufacturers may have the advantage because they can afford dedicated production lines, international audits and the paperwork required to enter additional countries.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

The fights between states and the wealthy are playing out in an increasing number of residency audits, said Timothy Noonan, a lawyer who leads a tax residency practice at Hodgson Russ in New York City.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Solomon’s group is pushing for an “organizational infrastructure for equal opportunity compliance,” including reporting compensation and promotion data for Charter’s California workforce and pay equity audits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

The Fowls had held on to Fowl Manor over the years, surviving war, civil unrest, and several tax audits.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Thirty-nine percent said they would continue to publish earnings press releases quarterly, but would submit regulatory filings twice a year—a reviewed semiannual report and an audited annual one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The burgeoning young composer organized Bernstein’s music archives, sat in on recording sessions and audited his senior-level classes for three years while studying at the Thornton School of Music at USC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The tax payable for 2025-2026 is still being audited and will be made public next year.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

He has claimed repeatedly that his returns are being audited by the IRS.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

During one seven-year period the lawyer’s tax returns had been audited, challenged, and taken to court annually.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

The joint statement also called for the establishment of "mechanisms for transparency, traceability, and auditing" to make sure the funds are properly used.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

By Friday, July 17, the chain had entirely switched out its lettuce, auditing the removal down to the store level.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Sokoloff, 37, alleged Mejia did not properly utilize the controller’s office to run audits on city departments and failed to keep up the auditing pace of his predecessor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Consider the average recommended equity exposure among close to 100 short-term market timers that my auditing firm monitors.

From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026

“You’re auditing something? I thought about doing that at NYU. How is it?”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Related Words

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