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
Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
And on June 1, the Jaguar that served as Diana's refuge will become the centerpiece of an auction at The Market auction house in South Oxfordshire, the same business responsible for sales including Queen Elizabeth II's Daimler, George Michael's Range Rover, and Sean Connery's BMW.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 30 May 2026
Katie Simons, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The sculpture was previously intended to be auctioned off this week as part of the Parade of Hearts celebration.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for auction
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Environmental justice, transit and housing advocates warned the changes gut the program’s core mission, slash auction revenue by about $2 billion a year and jeopardize frontline climate and public-health protections.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
And on June 1, the Jaguar that served as Diana's refuge will become the centerpiece of an auction at The Market auction house in South Oxfordshire, the same business responsible for sales including Queen Elizabeth II's Daimler, George Michael's Range Rover, and Sean Connery's BMW.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 30 May 2026
Verb
Five rare portraits of Marilyn Monroe from 1949, captured before her name change and signature platinum look, are being auctioned to mark her centennial.
—Katie Simons, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The sculpture was previously intended to be auctioned off this week as part of the Parade of Hearts celebration.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for auction
Cite this Entry
“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auction. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
