auditor

American  

[aw-di-ter] / ˈɔ dɪ tər /

noun

• auditors
  plural

1. a person appointed and authorized to examine accounts and accounting records, compare the charges with the vouchers, verify balance sheet and income items, and state the result.

2. a university student registered for a course without credit and without obligation to do work assigned to the class.

3. a hearer; listener.

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auditor British  

/ ˈɔːdɪtə /

noun

1. a person qualified to audit accounts

2. a person who hears or listens

3. a registered student who attends a class that is not an official part of his course of study, without actively participating it

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• auditorship
  noun
• subauditor
  noun
• superauditor
  noun
• auditorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• auditors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of auditor

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English auditour, from Anglo-French, from Latin audītor “hearer,” from audī(re) “to hear” + -tor -tor

Explanation

An auditor is someone who inspects accounting records. Don’t cheat on your taxes, or an auditor might come and check your figures. An auditor is also an attentive listener. That kind is usually more fun. The word auditor is Latin for “hearer.” This word still applies to someone who listens closely, but it also refers to a kind of accountant who checks the financial records of other people, usually to make sure nothing illegal is going on. If the Internal Revenue Service demands an audit, an auditor will go over your financial records with a fine-toothed comb. This process used to be done verbally, so both kinds of auditors need good hearing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

auditor auditors

It also announced changes to its age-verification process and parental controls as well as agreeing to appoint an independent auditor to check the measures are implemented and maintained.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Compliance would be policed for 10 years by an independent auditor chosen jointly by Meta and the states, and paid for by the company.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

So keep good records in case the tax man comes knocking, said Moll, “and hope the auditor or the judge agrees.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The measure would require the state auditor to conduct a financial and performance audit of proposed ballot initiatives and of the programs they fund.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

The writer is freed from the obligation of finding an auditor in public.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Independent auditors also suggested the party's manual journal entries and related party transactions remained at "heightened risk of fraud".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Several months earlier, county auditors identified lax accounting procedures that resulted in LAHSA’s failure to pay its contractors on time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Ms. Dierksheide and Mr. Guyatt review Jefferson’s anxieties and plans with the sternness of auditors rooting out unauthorized deductions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

That’s a nearly 75% decrease from the $2.2 billion auditors recommended on 2020 returns.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

We, his auditors, were enthralled—swept away in awe.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• accountant
• actuary
• bookkeeper