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.
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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auditionsimple
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auditionssimple
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have auditionedperfect
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has auditionedperfect
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are auditioningprogressive
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am auditioningprogressive
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is auditioningprogressive
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have been auditioningperfect progressive
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has been auditioningperfect progressive
Past
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auditionedsimple
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had auditionedperfect
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was auditioningprogressive
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were auditioningprogressive
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had been auditioningperfect progressive
Future
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.
A teenage model we are calling Beth said she was taken by her agent for a modelling audition in the 1990s to what turned out to be Sullivan's house.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
The audition for that movie changed the arc of her career.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Her father was a barrister, her mother an English teacher who, in a previous life, had also been going to audition after audition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Chapman told Cracked in 2024 that landing “30 Rock” was the “hardest/easiest audition I ever had in my life.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
And it was wonderful to see Jennifer give a perfect audition as Julie.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
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.
