AUCTION Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

auction 1 of 2

noun

Definition of auction

as in sale

a public event 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.

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auction

2 of 2

verb

as in to merchandise

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of auction

Noun

Insiders say there were around 12 other buyers in the mix for the auction, but ultimately the Sink-Scafaria package from A24 and Square Peg won out. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026 That’s on top of more than $200B in spectrum auctions over the past decade, plus the stores, care, and distribution that support customers every day. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

This fall, for the very first time, the parent company of the designer—who died in 2002 at the age of 79—is throwing open the Blass archives to auction a variety of designs, sketches, and mementos. — Laurie Brookins, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026 The accounting firm then selected four real estate firms — SRI, Knight Frank, Edmund Tie & Company and List International Realty — to auction or sell more than 80 properties. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for auction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for auction

Noun

Deep Com Roots, the international sales arm of Spain’s ISII Group, is seeing that demand translate into sales beyond Spain.

— Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Before this year, the largest drawdown on record was the 180 million-barrel emergency sale in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of sale

Verb

Expect retailers to start merchandising home fragrance by room rather than by scent family, and expect brands to release coordinated multi-room sets.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2026
Previously, the company had been merchandising denim throughout the store alongside other ready-to-wear.

— Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of merchandise

Noun

Harrington cofounded Elemis in 1990 and led it from launch through the end of 2025, taking the business global and steering it through multiple transactions — including a $900 million sale from private equity to a strategic holding company in 2019.

— Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Ecobank agreed a partnership with China’s payment system to enable transaction settlements in the yuan currency.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of transaction

Verb

Critics say the drive to buy local goods can inflate costs where domestic suppliers lack capacity, opening the door to middlemen who resell imports.

— Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Brokers gobble up tee times at public golf courses and resell them.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of resell

Verb

Roberts had swapped Hernández and slumping Will Smith in the batting order, moving Hernández up to third and Smith down to fifth.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Another good option is to enhance peanut butter toast’s nutritional value by adding and swapping out different toppings.

— Trista Chan, HEALTH, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of swap

Verb

Le and her husband purchased their current location at 903 South Federal Blvd.

— Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
The method might make sense for companies that have the capital to purchase AI chips but don't have enough power, data center space or skilled labor.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of purchase

Verb

Cal Fire wages Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2129 to require the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters to meet the objective of being within 5% of the average firefighter salary.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Salary caps in the NFL, NBA and NHL, along with the luxury-tax system in MLB, are lawful because they’ve been collectively bargained.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of bargain

Browse Nearby Words

au courant

auction

auctioned

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/auction. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of auction

noun

verb

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