1
a
: a formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation
The audit showed that the company had misled investors.
b
: the final report of an audit
2
: a methodical examination and review
an energy audit of the house
audited; auditing; audits
1
: to perform an audit of or for
audit the books
audit the company
2
: to attend (a course) without working for or expecting to receive formal credit
audited a foreign language course
Synonyms
Examples of audit in a Sentence
Noun
The Internal Revenue Service selected us for an audit.
You will need all your records if you are selected for audit by the IRS.
Verb
They audit the company books every year.
The Internal Revenue Service audited him twice in 10 years.
I audited an English literature class last semester.
Recent Examples on the Web
Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
Truth Social audit:Trump Media auditor raises doubts about Truth Social's future in new filing
The stock price has been volatile since its launch, hitting a high of $79.38 last week before dipping as low as $45.26 on Monday.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In audit after audit of postal facilities from New York to Los Angeles, the agency's independent inspectors documented workers and supervisors failing to follow basic, long-standing regulations meant to protect the keys — and to prevent one easy way thieves are stealing Americans' mail in bulk.
—Nick Devlin, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
The department eventually made some adjustments, and lawmakers responded to oversight concerns by requiring audits for projects receiving the credit.
—Matt Stevens, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The report produced by the Office of the Independent Performance Auditor was not a formal audit, auditor Ruby noted.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
To implement these strategies effectively, begin with a comprehensive audit of your current customer success approach.
—Nelly Voukaki, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In a November 2022 audit, Oakland found that only 10.5% of its residents’ recycling bins and 4% of all compost bins had any level of contamination.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
The state's budget also provides $1.5 million toward an audit to make sure JCPS isn't wasting money.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2024
Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Three years later, the IRS began auditing Rotta after obtaining evidence of unreported foreign financial accounts.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Then the government audited outcomes, looking at factors such as how well patients were able to speak and how well their jaws aligned.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 6 Mar. 2024
Some people will be audited because of these upgrades and change their behavior.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Scam investments, by contrast, will either not have audited financial statements or the auditor will be —as with Bernie Madoff — some guy working in a nearby closet.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Chambers said the agency already gets audited, and that for every big business that's lifted up, hundreds of smaller ones get a boost, too.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The state’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, composed of four senators and four House representatives, approved the investigation, which will be conducted by the Office of Performance Evaluations, an independent office that audits state agencies.
—Wilson Criscione, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2024
Chinese authorities are examining the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in China Evergrande Group’s accounting practices after the developer was accused of a $78 billion fraud, ramping up pressure on the global accounting giant that audited a slew of developers before the sector’s meltdown.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 22 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Hispanic student to faculty gap has remained significantly low for the past 20 years, the audit stated.
—Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
Truth Social audit:Trump Media auditor raises doubts about Truth Social's future in new filing
The stock price has been volatile since its launch, hitting a high of $79.38 last week before dipping as low as $45.26 on Monday.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In audit after audit of postal facilities from New York to Los Angeles, the agency's independent inspectors documented workers and supervisors failing to follow basic, long-standing regulations meant to protect the keys — and to prevent one easy way thieves are stealing Americans' mail in bulk.
—Nick Devlin, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
The department eventually made some adjustments, and lawmakers responded to oversight concerns by requiring audits for projects receiving the credit.
—Matt Stevens, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The report produced by the Office of the Independent Performance Auditor was not a formal audit, auditor Ruby noted.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
To implement these strategies effectively, begin with a comprehensive audit of your current customer success approach.
—Nelly Voukaki, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In a November 2022 audit, Oakland found that only 10.5% of its residents’ recycling bins and 4% of all compost bins had any level of contamination.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
The state's budget also provides $1.5 million toward an audit to make sure JCPS isn't wasting money.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Kansas, however, chooses which elections to audit through a completely random process after an election is over.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Three years later, the IRS began auditing Rotta after obtaining evidence of unreported foreign financial accounts.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Then the government audited outcomes, looking at factors such as how well patients were able to speak and how well their jaws aligned.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 6 Mar. 2024
Some people will be audited because of these upgrades and change their behavior.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Scam investments, by contrast, will either not have audited financial statements or the auditor will be —as with Bernie Madoff — some guy working in a nearby closet.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Chambers said the agency already gets audited, and that for every big business that's lifted up, hundreds of smaller ones get a boost, too.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The state’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, composed of four senators and four House representatives, approved the investigation, which will be conducted by the Office of Performance Evaluations, an independent office that audits state agencies.
—Wilson Criscione, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2024
Chinese authorities are examining the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in China Evergrande Group’s accounting practices after the developer was accused of a $78 billion fraud, ramping up pressure on the global accounting giant that audited a slew of developers before the sector’s meltdown.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'audit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near audit
Cite this Entry
“Audit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audit. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
audit
1 of 2 noun
au·dit
ˈȯd-ət 
1
: a thorough check of accounts especially of a business
2
: a careful check or review
an energy audit of our house
audit
2 of 2 verb
: to make an audit of
Legal Definition
audit
noun
au·dit
ˈȯ-dət
: a formal examination of financial records often to uncover fraud or inaccurate tax returns
also
: the final report of such an examination
audit
verb
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