1
: a sale of property to the highest bidder
2
: the act or process of bidding in some card games
Examples of auction in a Sentence
Noun
She bought the desk at an auction.
He made several bids at the auction.
Verb
They auctioned a similar desk last year.
The house was auctioned last week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Arriving in America, Ann and her followers are outraged by their first sight of a slave auction.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025
The result is that millions of dollars’ worth of equipment that the United States has already purchased is being auctioned off, likely at an extreme loss, or simply abandoned.
—Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for auction
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Noun
The auction took place at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Arriving in America, Ann and her followers are outraged by their first sight of a slave auction.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
Two prize hams were auctioned for $35,000 apiece at the Future Farmers of America Ham Breakfast held as part of the fair.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025
The result is that millions of dollars’ worth of equipment that the United States has already purchased is being auctioned off, likely at an extreme loss, or simply abandoned.
—Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for auction
Cite this Entry
“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auction. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
auction
1 of 2 noun
auc·tion
ˈȯk-shən 
: a sale at which things are sold to those who offer to pay the most
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