auditor

noun

au·​di·​tor ˈȯ-də-tər 

1

: a person authorized to examine and verify accounts

2

: one who hears or listens

especially : one who is a member of an audience

3

: a person who audits a course of study

4

: a person who hears something (such as a court case) in the capacity of judge

Did you know?

The auditing of a company's financial records by independent examiners on a regular basis is necessary to prevent "cooking the books", and thus to keep the company honest. We don't normally think of auditors as listening, since looking at and adding up numbers is their basic line of work, but auditors do have to listen to people's explanations, and perhaps that's the historical link. Hearing is more obviously part of another meaning of audit, the kind that college students do when they sit in on a class without taking exams or receiving an official grade.

Examples of auditor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, only 28% of leaders express confidence in their teams' ability to effectively audit AI risks, and 63% of organizations have not yet defined a formal risk appetite or governance framework for AI use, leaving internal auditors with little structure for oversight, according to the report. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025

Under the new pay increase, the secretary of state's salary will go from $106,450 to $111,772, while the annual salaries for the treasurer, auditor and commissioner will increase from $100,536 to $105,563. —Arkansas Online, 14 Nov. 2025

According to the auditor's office, UMMH did not provide any accounting records to corroborate that the grant revenue was used to offset the bonus expenses. —Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025

The state auditor has yet to release the findings of its investigation. —Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English auditour "hearer, listener, official who examines and verifies accounts," borrowed from Anglo-French auditur, auditour, borrowed from Medieval Latin audītor "hearer, hearer of pleas (in court or Parliament), official who examines accounts," going back to Latin, "hearer, listener, disciple," from audīre "to hear" + -tor, agent suffix — more at audible entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

auditor

noun

au·​di·​tor ˈȯd-ət-ər 

1

: a person who listens to or hears something or someone

especially : a member of an audience

2

: a person who audits accounts

Legal Definition

auditor

noun

au·​di·​tor ˈȯ-də-tər 

1

: a person qualified and authorized to examine and verify financial records

2

: a referee appointed by a court in a civil action

especially : one designated to prepare an account for the court see also master