auditorium

play

noun au·di·to·ri·um \ ˌȯ-də-ˈtȯr-ē-əm \

Definition of auditorium

plural auditoriums or auditoria play \-ē-ə\

1 :the part of a public building where an audience sits

2 :a room, hall, or building used for public gatherings

See auditorium defined for English-language learners

See auditorium defined for kids

Examples of auditorium in a Sentence

will hold the town meeting in the high school auditorium

Recent Examples of auditorium from the Web

Jones said the Horace Mann fire spanned two floors and was larger than the May fire that destroyed the auditorium.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "'Suspicious' fire probed at closed Gary high school," 21 Aug. 2017
Smith said the auditoriums don't have backstage areas, which could limit the types of performances.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "New arts and event center planned for Price Hill," 18 Aug. 2017
The auditorium was filled with young women who care about politics and feminism and diversity, and they didn't shy away from tough conversations about what that means.

— shay maunz, Glamour, "Is it Cool For Companies to Use Feminism to Get Us to Shop?," 8 Aug. 2017
CARDIFF The Cardiff School District board is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Thursday in the district auditorium at 1888 Montgomery Ave.

— laura groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "On the agenda, Aug. 6," 6 Aug. 2017
Also a small summer-reading book sale of fiction books (in the auditorium).

— The Courier-Journal, "Seven patriotic events to take in this Fourth of July," 2 July 2017
Images on social media showed an ambulance and what appeared to be civilians standing outside the Sparkman Center, which includes offices, an auditorium, cafeteria and an interior courtyard.

— erik schelzig, The Seattle Times, "Confusion reigns in military post lockdown; no shots fired," 27 June 2017
It will be put on display outside an auditorium named for one of the company’s hard-driving founders, Henry R. Luce.

— james barron, New York Times, "The Time to Retrieve Time’s Time Capsule Is at Hand," 25 June 2017
In the gym, people pressed close on blue bleachers, watching a screen of the ceremony in the auditorium.

— susan svrluga, chicagotribune.com, "'Let's bring it in': Otto Warmbier's family and friends celebrate his life at memorial," 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of auditorium

Latin, literally, lecture room

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1640

See Words from the same year

auditorium Synonyms

Synonyms

amphitheater, arena, hall, garden, theater (or theatre)

Related Words

arena theater, music hall, odeum, playhouse, theater-in-the-round; ballroom; lyceum; chamber, house, senate; cafetorium

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

AUDITORIUM Defined for English Language Learners

auditorium

play

noun

Definition of auditorium for English Language Learners

: a large room or building where people gather to watch a performance, hear a speech, etc.
: the part of a building (such as a theater) where an audience sits