audit

1 of 2

noun

au·​dit ˈȯ-dət 

1

a

: a formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation

The audit showed that the company had misled investors.

b

: the final report of an audit

2

: a methodical examination and review

an energy audit of the house

audit

2 of 2

verb

audited; auditing; audits

transitive verb

1

: to perform an audit of or for

audit the books

audit the company

2

: to attend (a course) without working for or expecting to receive formal credit

audited a foreign language course

auditability

ˌȯ-də-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

auditable

ˌȯ-di-tə-bəl 

adjective

auditee

ˌȯ-də-ˈtē 

noun

Synonyms of audit

Noun

• inspection
• examination
• survey
• scrutiny

Verb

• review
• survey
• examine
• scan
• inspect

Examples of audit in a Sentence

Noun

The Internal Revenue Service selected us for an audit.

You will need all your records if you are selected for audit by the IRS.

Verb

They audit the company books every year.

The Internal Revenue Service audited him twice in 10 years.

I audited an English literature class last semester.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After the Herald began reporting on the A3 Foundation, Levine Cava called for an audit of the charity, and Miami-Dade commissioners voted to divert a yearly A3 Foundation allocation in a county contract to Miami-Dade’s Parks Foundation instead. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025

The group plans to expand its board, tighten conflict-of-interest policies, and conduct an external audit as part of broader transparency reforms. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2025

Verb

The fine print — including how spend will be audited, whether marketing and postproduction count, and when the first targets kick in — will be finalized once the bill clears Parliament. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025

Those figures are agency-reported and have not been independently audited. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English audyte "examination of accounts, judicial hearing," borrowed from Medieval Latin audītus "sense of hearing, act of listening, right to judicial hearing, examination of accounts," going back to Latin, "sense or act of hearing," from audīre "to hear" + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at audible entry 1

Note: The sense "examination of accounts," attested relatively late in Medieval Latin, is based on the word audītor, which in the meaning "one who examines accounts" is recorded much earlier—see auditor.

Verb

Middle English audyten, derivative of audyte audit entry 1; in sense 2 back-formation from auditor

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing audit

• audit trail

Rhymes for audit

• caudate

Kids Definition

audit

1 of 2 noun

au·​dit ˈȯd-ət 

1

: a thorough check of accounts especially of a business

2

: a careful check or review

an energy audit of our house

audit

2 of 2 verb

: to make an audit of

Legal Definition

audit

noun

au·​dit ˈȯ-dət 

: a formal examination of financial records often to uncover fraud or inaccurate tax returns

also : the final report of such an examination

audit verb