audition
Americannoun
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a trial hearing given to a singer, actor, or other performer to test suitability for employment, professional training or competition, etc.
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a reading or other simplified rendering of a theatrical work, performed before a potential backer, producer, etc.
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the act, sense, or power of hearing.
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something that is heard.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a test at which a performer or musician is asked to demonstrate his ability for a particular role, etc
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the act, sense, or power of hearing
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of audition
1590–1600; (< Middle French ) < Latin audītiōn- (stem of audītiō hearing). See auditive, -ion
Explanation
An audition is a tryout for a role in a movie, orchestra, or play. If you bomb the audition, you probably won't make it into the cast. When describing a tryout in which an actor, singer, musician, or dancer tries to prove that he or she is talented enough to earn a part in a show, audition is used as a noun. The word can also be used as a verb, as in, "I auditioned for the part of Peter Pan, but every time I tried to fly I fell flat on my face." Audition shares a common heritage with audience, the group of people who will eventually watch the show for which a performer has auditioned. Both words come from the Middle French term meaning "power of hearing."
Vocabulary lists containing audition
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
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aud
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Theater - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If it was an audition to succeed Donald Trump in 2028, US Vice President JD Vance was keeping it low-key as he held a briefing at the White House on Tuesday.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
Being out of the country meant missing Boston University’s acting-program audition.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
That was a thing that really hooked me, made me want to audition and made me excited to get this part was that I was like, “I can’t get a grasp on her.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
The role that propelled her to fame - Eponine in Les Misérables - was only possible because she was able to skip the audition process entirely.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
She’d definitely give me a positive evaluation at the end of this internship if I gave her a new flavor recipe—and I could use it for my Kids Bake Challenge! audition.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
