auditorium
Americannoun
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the space set apart for the audience in a theater, school, or other public building.
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a building for public gatherings; hall.
noun
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the area of a concert hall, theatre, school, etc, in which the audience sits
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a building for public gatherings or meetings
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of auditorium
Explanation
Whenever you check out a concert or a play, you sit in an auditorium — that is, the section of a theater or concert hall reserved for the audience. You can try sitting on the stage, but you'll probably be thrown out. Sometimes auditorium refers to the whole building where performances take place, not just the area for the audience. As the spelling of the word suggests, it's related to the word auditory, meaning "something related to hearing." In fact, auditorium is a Latin term meaning "a place where something is heard," — and of course, as high school and college students know all too well, that can mean lectures as well as concerts or plays.
Vocabulary lists containing auditorium
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
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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.
Saturday, in a lot beside the shuttered Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, a strange set of cars and trucks began to gather.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
The festival kicked off Friday evening with the 46th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony at Bovard Auditorium, emceed by Times columnist LZ Granderson, recognizing both emerging voices and established writers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Before moving to the Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles, the Oscars for years were held in a central location at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Shrine Auditorium.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Following its split with the Kennedy Center, the company has ably adapted to George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, where it is presenting a gripping staging of Robert Ward’s version of the Arthur Miller classic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
As his practice faltered, Sullivan found himself forced to leave his office in the Auditorium and to sell his personal belongings.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
