auction 1 of 2

noun

Definition of auctionnext
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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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
The painting was sold at a Christie’s auction last fall for just under $5 million. — News Desk, Artforum, 17 July 2026 This auction at Sotheby’s set a record for most valuable fossil ever sold. — Kristi Curry Rogers, Washington Post, 16 July 2026
Verb
There are no checks and balances; no independent agency to auction off and assign oil licenses. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 17 June 2026 The Cavaliers also auctioned off the seats used by by Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner during Game 4. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for auction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for auction
  1. sale
  2. merchandise
  3. transaction
  4. exchange
  5. resell
  6. swap
  7. purchase
  8. bargain
Noun
  • Earlier this week, Beijing released its first five-year policy plan to boost consumption and lift annual retail sales to about $9 trillion by 2030.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • Further inside, a fragment of a gate has a for-sale sign, candles, guayaberas and two colorful chairs — like memories from a grandfather’s house.
    — Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of sale
Verb
  • The beauty area is bigger and better merchandised, too, with brands including Sunday Riley — a new arrival — K-beauty brand Biodance, Nuxe and Clinique.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 13 July 2026
  • For Spisak, the reports weren’t replacing merchandising judgment.
    — Angela Chan-Danisi, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of merchandise
Noun
  • Business immediately was exceptional — with 40% of it coming from drive-thru transactions, Doug Davis said.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 15 July 2026
  • The waterfront mansion, located at 1 Star Island Drive and purchased by Combs in 2021 for $35 million, has been sold in an off-market transaction.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of transaction
Verb
  • But Spain cut off this combination in the semifinal, and that pair exchanged only one pass.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • In Milwaukee, where the air is in the hazardous category, the Milwaukee Brewers are allowing ticket holders to exchange tickets for Friday night's game for another regular season home game.
    — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Definition of exchange
Verb
  • But the prices for the vast majority of stickers are pretty low, which means that no vulture is out there buying up all the sticker packs and trying to resell them at inflated prices to impressionable children hoping to win the lottery.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • Reese adds that Goodwill accepts clothing too worn to resell and recycles the textiles instead.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026
Definition of resell
Verb
  • In terms of beauty, Zendaya has swapped out her bixie—for now—and worn her XXL hair in undulating waves and twisted crown-like braids.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 15 July 2026
  • Then Anna fails Room 7 and winds up back in Room 8, where Becca swaps the players’ table positions, so Ify reads the win condition as well and leaves.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Definition of swap
Verb
  • At that level, the product would no longer deliver the experience many consumers expect when purchasing a THC drink.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Retail analysts and industry researchers say about 80 percent of shoppers aged 18 to 24 actively purchase second-hand apparel, and up to two out of every five items in their closets are sourced via resale platforms.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 July 2026
Definition of purchase
Verb
  • No deployment date has been set for Hyundai’s Korean plants at all, so the union is bargaining pre-emptively, trying to lock in protections before the humanoid robots show up rather than after.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • The union that represents many of Cottonwood’s employees — the National Union of Healthcare Workers — was informed Monday night, and will bargain with the facility over the terms of the closure, spokesperson Matthew Artz said in an email.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of bargain

Browse Nearby Words

au courant
auction
auctioned
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Cite this Entry

“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/auction. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on auction

Nglish: Translation of auction for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about auction

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