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

Her retirement adds to the growing list of turnover in key positions appointed by the council, which hires the city manager, secretary, auditor, inspector general and municipal judges. —Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026

Rastrick also had a spell at the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) as leadership and management auditor. —Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

The defendant concealed his scheme by falsely telling Helios’ auditor that Kaleidoscope had been used to pay legitimate MoviePass expenses from the 2018 Coachella festival, evidence shows. —City News Service, Daily News, 5 Mar. 2026

Based on the recommendations of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, Richardson asked the legislative staff to reach out to the state auditor to evaluate the project. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026

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