audition

[ aw-dish-uh n ]

/ ɔˈdɪʃ ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR audition ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a trial hearing given to a singer, actor, or other performer to test suitability for employment, professional training or competition, etc.

a reading or other simplified rendering of a theatrical work, performed before a potential backer, producer, etc.

the act, sense, or power of hearing.

something that is heard.

verb (used with or without object)

to try or compete in an audition: to audition aspiring actors; to audition for the leading role.

Nearby words

Origin of audition

1590–1600; (< Middle French) < Latin audītiōn- (stem of audītiō hearing). See auditive, -ion

Related formsau·di·tion·er, nounre·au·di·tion, nounun·au·di·tioned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for audition

My agent at the time sent that tape to SNL and then they asked me to come in for an audition.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I went into the audition as Fericito, the Venezuelan percussionist, and then I did a self-defense expert.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A few years back, Belle and Sebastian even penned a song, “Suicide Girl,” about a woman trying to audition to be one.
Masters of Alt Sex: SuicideGirls Hits Puberty and Wants to Invade Your TV Set|Marlow Stern|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alan just happened to be in New York auditioning people, and I got in the room to audition for the first time.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She says her modeling agency landed her an audition, and she got the job.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004|Marlow Stern|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you're going to audition for the stars, cut down the volume!
Where I Wasn't Going|Walt Richmond
Inasmuch as this soon stops, the abnormality and incorrectness of their audition is hard to establish.
Criminal Psychology|Hans Gross
She was not a baby-farm after all, and the audition of these squalling nurslings vexed her.
Mr. Punch's Country Life|Various
Sylvia, who was feeling the need to do something at once, decided to risk an audition at one of the outlying music-halls.
The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett|Compton Mackenzie
The neglect of his powers of audition will cause him to rely absolutely on his powers of visualizing the written form.
The Principles of Language-Study|Harold E. Palmer

British Dictionary definitions for audition

audition

/ (ɔːˈdɪʃən) /

noun

a test at which a performer or musician is asked to demonstrate his ability for a particular role, etc

the act, sense, or power of hearing

verb

to judge by means of or be tested in an audition

Word Origin for audition

C16: from Latin audītiō 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

Word Origin and History for audition

audition

1590s, "power of hearing," from Middle French audicion "hearing (in a court of law)," from Latin auditionem (nominative auditio) "a hearing, listening to," noun of action from past participle stem of audire "hear" (see audience). Meaning "trial for a performer" first recorded 1881.

audition

"to try out for a performance part," 1935, from audition (n.). Transitive sense by 1944. Related: Auditioned; auditioning.

Medicine definitions for audition

audition

[ ô-dĭsh′ən ]

n.

The sense, ability, or power of hearing.

audition

noun

verb (used with or without object)

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Origin of audition

Examples from the Web for audition

audition

noun

verb

Word Origin for audition

audition

audition

audition

n.