plural auctions
: a public sale at which things are sold to the people who offer to pay the most
She bought the desk at an auction.
He made several bids at the auction.
The house is being sold at auction. = The house is up for auction.
She works as an auctioneer at an auction house. [=a business that runs auctions]
auctions; auctioned; auctioning
: to sell (something) at an auction
They auctioned a similar desk last year.
The house was auctioned last week.
—often + offThe house was auctioned off last week.
Cite this Entry
“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/auction. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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