auditorium

noun

au·​di·​to·​ri·​um ˌȯ-də-ˈtȯr-ē-əm 

plural auditoriums or auditoria ˌȯ-də-ˈtȯr-ē-ə 

1

: the part of a public building where an audience sits

2

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

Synonyms

• amphitheater
• arena
• garden
• hall
• theater
• theatre

Examples of auditorium in a Sentence

will hold the town meeting in the high school auditorium

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1999, only 205 IMAX auditoriums existed on the planet. —Lisa Laman, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2024

To break down barriers between visitors and people on the inside, everyone got a chance to mingle beforehand and then sat down together in an auditorium to watch films as well as a few skits and listen to musical performances. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024

Outside the auditorium at Carnegie Mellon, Rodrigo Lopez, a registered independent from Florida, was finishing up homework for his mechanical engineering class. —Charlotte Alter / Pittsburgh, TIME, 10 Oct. 2024

The audience inside the largest auditorium at Norwalk’s new Milagro Cinemas was jazzed. —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin audītōrium "lecture room, hall, body of listeners," from audīre "to hear" + -tōrium, suffix of places, from neuter of -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix — more at audible entry 1, auditory entry 2

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

auditorium

noun

au·​di·​to·​ri·​um ˌȯd-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əm 

-ˈtȯr-

1

: the part of a public building where an audience sits

2

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