audit

[ aw-dit ]

/ ˈɔ dɪt /

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See synonyms for: audit / auditing on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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.

Archaic. a judicial hearing.

Obsolete. an audience.

verb (used with object)

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.

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

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

verb (used without object)

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

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Origin of audit

1400–50; late Middle English audite<Latin audītus the sense or act of hearing, equivalent to audī(re) to hear + -tus suffix of v. action

OTHER WORDS FROM audit

au·dit·a·ble, adjectivere·au·dit, noun, verbun·au·dit·ed, adjectivewell-au·dit·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for audit

Which is more responsible: too big to fail, or auditing the Fed?
The GOP Flees to the Cleve|James Poulos|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Do you really trust the people who are tapping your phone and auditing your taxes to take over your medical records?
IRS, DOJ, and Benghazi Expose Limits of Obama’s Big-Government Vision|Stuart Stevens|May 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Auditing is an integral part of advancement in the ranks of Scientology.
Scientology Glossary: Thetans, Engrams, Sea Org, & More Key Terms|David Sessions|July 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Once, after one of these childhood auditing sessions in London, I fell while running down a hill.
Scientology’s Sea Org: A Story of Escape for Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise|Abigail Pesta|July 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In the auditing process, adherents may disclose details of their personal life, and a record of the audit is placed in a file.
Will Scientology Sway Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s Divorce?|Matthew DeLuca|July 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And the company guards came down and picked it up immediately after lunch for their auditing department.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Who was that young man who came down here to help Johnson with the auditing, and who went away so suddenly?
The New Tenant|E. Phillips Oppenheim
The Board met once for but ten minutes, and turned the whole auditing business over to Tweed.
Satan's Invisible World Displayed or, Despairing Democracy|W. T. Stead
I have in my mind a commercial married man auditing in his debit and credit mind the matrimonial balance sheet.
The Law and the Poor|Edward Abbott Parry
The Government maintained an auditing organization at each job.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell

British Dictionary definitions for audit

audit

/ (ˈɔːdɪt) /

noun

an inspection, correction, and verification of business accounts, conducted by an independent qualified accountant
(as modifier)audit report

US an audited account

any thoroughgoing check or examination

archaic a hearing

verb

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

US and Canadian to attend (classes, etc) as an auditor

Word Origin for audit

C15: from Latin audītus a hearing, from audīre to hear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for audit

audit

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

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