Did you know?
Today, audition most often refers to an artistic performance, but that wasn’t always the case. Audition has roots in the Latin verb audīre meaning “to hear,” and was first used in the late 16th century to refer to the power or sense of hearing. Audīre is also the root of such hearing-related words in English as audible (“capable of being heard”), audience (which first meant “the act or state of hearing”), and the combining form audio-, which appears in various words relating to sound. It wasn’t until the 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
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
The three women — Ashley, Park, and her interpreter, Eunice (Seoyeon Jang) — decide Park will have a trial session with Austin, which will serve as an audition of sorts for a full-time position as the club’s physical therapist.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Emily Longeretta, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
Ortega auditioned to play the 13-year-old in a role that went to Milly Shapiro, while Alex Wolff played the older brother.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for audition
Cite this Entry
“Audition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audition. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
audition
1 of 2 noun
audition
2 of 2 verbMedical Definition
audition
noun
