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

What’s more, the auditor was a related party.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

It essentially means that judges must presume that the government — whether it be federal prosecutors, an IRS auditor or an FBI agent — did their jobs according to the rules and in good faith.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

One Claude agent has been serving as a “builder” and another serves as an auditor, summarizing the work the first agent did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

The job: The city controller serves as L.A.’s chief auditor and watchdog of the public purse, including scrutinizing how money is spent and whether City Hall is performing efficiently.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

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

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

She said auditors in Ohio created a “false narrative” about her charter school and her actions, and that she took a plea deal only after being exhausted emotionally and financially by a drawn-out investigation.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 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

Eventually Berkeley’s auditors would bring the fund fully into the formal regime established for all such trust funds, requiring that it be deposited in an interest-bearing bank account and designated as a university asset.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• accountant
• actuary
• bookkeeper