1
: a sale of property to the highest bidder
2
: the act or process of bidding in some card games
Examples of auction in a Sentence
Noun
She bought the desk at an auction.
He made several bids at the auction.
Verb
They auctioned a similar desk last year.
The house was auctioned last week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The top six highest-selling vehicles at the auction were all Ford models.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
According to Ledor Fine Art, which specializes in Picassos, the painting had once been auctioned off for $90,000.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for auction
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Noun
The night’s top auction item — a couples’ trip to Napa — was won by Raven and Adam, who also became the first to hit the dance floor.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The top six highest-selling vehicles at the auction were all Ford models.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Celebrity Chef Jack Arnold grilled Colorado Craft Beef steaks and auctioned off one of his Grilla Grills, while guests enjoyed signature Campfire Margaritas and ExCamps-spresso S’mores Martinis.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
According to Ledor Fine Art, which specializes in Picassos, the painting had once been auctioned off for $90,000.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for auction
Cite this Entry
“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auction. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
auction
1 of 2 noun
auc·tion
ˈȯk-shən 
: a sale at which things are sold to those who offer to pay the most
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