audible

1 of 3

adjective

au·​di·​ble ˈȯ-də-bəl How to pronounce audible (audio)
: heard or capable of being heard
spoke in a barely audible voice
audibility noun
audibly adverb

audible

2 of 3

noun

American football
: a substitute offensive or defensive play called at the line of scrimmage

audible

3 of 3

verb

audibled; audibling ˈȯ-də-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce audible (audio)

intransitive verb

American football
: to call an audible
Chicago quarterback Jim Harbaugh audibled to a pass play …Peter King

Examples of audible in a Sentence

Adjective Her voice was barely audible over the noise. He let out an audible sigh.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Researchers found that visual speed warnings were activated in 70% of vehicles, but in systems that gave an audible warning when the driver exceeded the speed limit were only switched on in 14% of the vehicles observed. Tanya Mohn, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024 At the Venice Film Festival, where The Brutalist premiered (and Corbet won the Silver Lion award for best director), sequences capturing the sounds and textures of industrial America—the clang of steel girders, the roar of a smelting furnace—drew audible gasps. Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024
Noun
Chief among the updates is the ability to save custom audibles. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 There was a loose, unfettered vibe to the evening, and White appeared to be calling audibles to his bandmates throughout. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 6 Aug. 2024
Verb
The textures respected Mahler’s passion for transparency: the flute audible through the strings, the harps palpable amid the brasses. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 June 2024 Sills is heard saying on the 911 call, his distraught children audible in the background. Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for audible 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'audible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Late Latin audībilis, from Latin audīre "to hear" + -bilis "subject to or capable of (the action of the verb)"; audīre perhaps going back to Indo-European *h2eu̯is- "evident, manifest" (akin, with varying vowel placement and ablaut grades, to Greek aḯein "to perceive, hear," Sanskrit āvíṣ "evidently," Avestan auuiš, Old Church Slavic avě, javě "clearly, manifestly," Lithuanian ovyje "in reality," Hittite au-/u- "see, look") + *dheh1- "put, place" — more at do entry 1, -able

Note: Though there is general agreement in the etymological literature on the identity of the first element of audiō, audīre, the second element is problematic. If audiō goes back to a pre-Latin *áwizdijō, the outcome of the cluster *-zdh- as -d- conflicts with its apparent outcome elsewhere as -st-, as in hasta "spear" (see yard entry 2) and perhaps in custōs "guardian" (see custody). (The cluster -zd- without an aspirate regularly yields loss of -z- with lengthening of the preceding vowel, as in nīdus "nest" from *nizdos—see nest entry 1.)

Noun

derivative of audible entry 1

Verb

derivative of audible entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1961, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of audible was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near audible

Cite this Entry

“Audible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audible. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

audible

adjective
au·​di·​ble
ˈȯd-ə-bəl
: heard or capable of being heard
the sound was barely audible
audibility
ˌȯd-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē
noun
audibly
ˈȯd-ə-blē
adverb

Medical Definition

audible

adjective
au·​di·​ble ˈȯd-ə-bəl How to pronounce audible (audio)
: heard or capable of being heard
audibility noun
plural audibilities
audibly adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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