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 of auditorium

• amphitheater
• theater
• hall

Examples of auditorium in a Sentence

will hold the town meeting in the high school auditorium

Recent Examples on the Web

A couple of hundred people filled an auditorium in the city hall. —E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

The Cook Auditorium was opened in 1935 — replacing the high school’s original Greek Revival–style auditorium that had been severely damaged in the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake — and closed in 2019 for renovations to address safety concerns with the now decades-old rigging system. —Heather McRea, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026

Instead of restricting audiences to three-hour events in a single auditorium, the staff plan to invite guests to explore the rest of the building and mingle over refreshments in its vast hallways. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026

The center, located in Jackson Park on the South Side, will include a Chicago Public Library branch, an auditorium, a media suite, an athletic center and the museum with exhibits from Obama’s past. —Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026

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

Rhymes for auditorium

• cladosporium
• crematorium
• eupatorium
• moratorium
• sanatorium
• conservatorium
• helminthosporium
• corium
• emporium
• scriptorium
• tentorium
• triforium

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