audition

noun

au·di·tion | \ ȯ-ˈdi-shən

Definition of audition

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the power or sense of hearing

2 : the act of hearing especially : a critical hearing an audition of new recordings

3 : a trial performance to appraise an entertainer's merits

audition

verb

auditioned; auditioning\ -ˈdi-sh(ə-)niŋ

Definition of audition (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to test or try out especially in an audition

intransitive verb

: to give a trial performance

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about audition

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Did You Know?

Noun

Today, "audition" most often refers to a theatrical tryout, but that wasn't always the case. "Audition" is rooted in the Latin verb audire, meaning "to hear," and was first used in the late 16th century to refer to the power or sense of hearing. "Audire" is also the root of such "hearing" words in English as "audible," "audience" (which first meant "the act or state of hearing"), and the prefix audio-, which appears in various words relating to sound. It wasn't until late 19th century that the noun "audition" began being used for an entertainer's trial performance. And the verb audition, meaning "to test or try out in an audition," didn't appear on the English language stage until the mid-20th century.

Examples of audition in a Sentence

Verb

When he came in to audition, he was very charming. They auditioned several girls for the role. We will audition dancers today.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The photo calls, the auditions, the hours lost to hair and makeup, the rehearsals, the empty, endless time on set—the glitz obscures the toil. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "Aurora Perrineau Wanted to Be Known as an Actor. Instead, Her Name Got Dragged Into Scandal," 21 May 2019 To watch the next round of auditions, tune into The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "The Voice's John Legend Was Not Happy When Jej Vinson Picked Kelly Clarkson as His Coach," 5 Mar. 2019 Captain Marvel), had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict, so Lynch got a call to audition. — Yolanda Machado, Marie Claire, "Lashana Lynch Is Changing the Face of Superhero Movies," 4 Mar. 2019 Singers 18 years of age and older are eligible to audition. — Justino Aguila, Billboard, "Telemundo's 'La Voz' Starring Luis Fonsi Will Search For the Best Voices in L.A., San Juan & More Cities," 18 June 2018 In what must be an Olympics first, prospective contestants were invited to submit a video to audition for a spot in the competition. — Victor Mather, New York Times, "The Olympics Would Be Better With a Breakdancing Competition. Discuss.," 23 Apr. 2018 My mom even had an outfit in the back of the car for those auditions: raggedy jeans, torn t-shirt, worn tennis shoes. — Marie Claire, "Deep Dives," 7 Mar. 2019 Though Joey learns French for an audition, the book here foreshadows one of the final moments of the series: Rachel preparing to move to Paris. — Vanessa Golembewski, Glamour, "Have You Noticed They're Always Reading on Friends? Yes, Even Joey," 2 July 2018 Over the course of the morning, Graves, 58, spoke on everything from the need for tenacity in an opera career to specific movement choices for auditions. — Trevor Fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Denyce Graves hits a high note for Opera UCF students," 11 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The daughter of Jim and Lisa Smalley, who now live in Katy, is auditioning this summer in hopes of landing a job in a show at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. — Don Maines, Houston Chronicle, "Blossoming actress pays tribute to inspiration from ‘Mr. C’," 21 June 2018 Right now students are auditioning for the first two semesters of the program, which will begin in the fall, after school starts. — Washington Post, "With academy program, symphony hopes to address diversity," 12 Apr. 2018 Currently the orchestra is auditioning players to fill the last two open positions, which will bring the orchestra to an agreed-upon strength of 88 positions. — Atlanta Life, ajc, "Why Atlanta Symphony musicians are happy," 5 Mar. 2018 Nuanced roles like this don't come around often, and The CW's decision to cast a sighted actress, Perry Mattfeld, came after auditioning several blind performers. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The CW’s In the Dark Is a Compelling Look at the Blind Experience," 4 Apr. 2019 The department added the cat to its ranks in April after auditioning five felines from the Michigan Humane Society, the newspaper reported. — Fox News, "Michigan police cat name revealed after thousands vote in Twitter poll," 2 Oct. 2018 But after nearly a full season auditioning the concept, the Rays appear vindicated. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "Bullpen Day Turns Into a Winning Formula in Baseball," 19 Sep. 2018 The two groups had been chosen to for the Worldstrides Festival after auditioning via video. — Matthew J. Palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Jones High performances at Carnegie Hall: 'amazing,' 'awesome'," 23 Apr. 2018 The couple met in August 2006 when the bride auditioned for a play that the groom was directing. — New York Times, "Madeline Long, Joshua Weinstein," 17 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'audition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for audition

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin audītiōn-, audītiō "act of hearing, report, rumor," from audīre "to hear" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at audible entry 1

Verb

derivative of audition entry 1

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Statistics for audition

Last Updated

20 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for audition

The first known use of audition was in 1599

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More Definitions for audition

audition

noun

English Language Learners Definition of audition

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a short performance to show the talents of someone (such as an actor or a musician) who is being considered for a role in a play, a position in an orchestra, etc.

audition

verb

English Language Learners Definition of audition (Entry 2 of 2)

of a performer : to try out for a role in a play or film, a position in an orchestra, etc. : to perform in an audition

: to test (someone) in an audition

See the full definition for audition in the English Language Learners Dictionary

audition

noun

au·di·tion | \ ȯ-ˈdi-shən