auditor
Americannoun
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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.
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a university student registered for a course without credit and without obligation to do work assigned to the class.
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a hearer; listener.
noun
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a person qualified to audit accounts
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a person who hears or listens
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a registered student who attends a class that is not an official part of his course of study, without actively participating it
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing auditor
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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aud
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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.
Former public accounts minister Amelie de Montchalin in February became the country's top auditor, after criticism she could not critique a budget that she was involved in drafting.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
The new agents Anthropic is rolling out Tuesday include a corporate earnings reviewer, a financial statement auditor, and a screener for documents tied to customer due diligence processes.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
An auditor that is too critical of a manager’s marks risks being replaced, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Operators would submit to an independent audit of their compliance with those provisions, and the auditor would send a report to the attorney general.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
The writer is freed from the obligation of finding an auditor in public.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
