as in sales
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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Recent Examples of auctions
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2025
Birds of paradise from islands such as New Guinea were hunted and skinned, then exported to Europe and the US, where they were sold to milliners at auctions in London, Paris and Amsterdam.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
In the cutthroat world of art auctions, where a single painting can reap millions in commissions for powerhouse institutions like Christie’s or Sotheby’s, there’s little room for error and perhaps even less room for ethics.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Goetting plays bass and Zepponi lead guitar in the band Silverado Pickup, who primarily play for charity auctions.
—Laura Ness, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
The gala benefits orphaned and abandoned children in Baja, Mexico, and will include champagne, cocktails, silent and live auctions, entertainment, dinner and dancing.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
The company’s Amazon Web Services will launch a real-time bidding service for ad buyers and sellers called AWS RTB Fabric, with a goal of helping marketers and media outlets buy and sell digital commercial inventory through split-second auctions.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
New Jerseyans’ electricity rates rose roughly 20% at the start of June as a result of price-setting capacity auctions—the market where power producers are paid to guarantee future supply.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
The directors will be showcasing some of their recent discoveries, bought at auctions and estate sales from antique dealers or private collectors, at Frieze Masters, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday, in tandem with the contemporary art fair Frieze.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
The family also happened to be purveyors of fine art, some of which will also be up for grabs via Christie’s this winter across its various auctions.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2025
Birds of paradise from islands such as New Guinea were hunted and skinned, then exported to Europe and the US, where they were sold to milliners at auctions in London, Paris and Amsterdam.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
In the cutthroat world of art auctions, where a single painting can reap millions in commissions for powerhouse institutions like Christie’s or Sotheby’s, there’s little room for error and perhaps even less room for ethics.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Goetting plays bass and Zepponi lead guitar in the band Silverado Pickup, who primarily play for charity auctions.
—Laura Ness, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
The gala benefits orphaned and abandoned children in Baja, Mexico, and will include champagne, cocktails, silent and live auctions, entertainment, dinner and dancing.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
The company’s Amazon Web Services will launch a real-time bidding service for ad buyers and sellers called AWS RTB Fabric, with a goal of helping marketers and media outlets buy and sell digital commercial inventory through split-second auctions.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
New Jerseyans’ electricity rates rose roughly 20% at the start of June as a result of price-setting capacity auctions—the market where power producers are paid to guarantee future supply.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
The directors will be showcasing some of their recent discoveries, bought at auctions and estate sales from antique dealers or private collectors, at Frieze Masters, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday, in tandem with the contemporary art fair Frieze.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for auctions
Noun
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Chipotle and Cava both reported weaker sales this fall, blaming a slowdown among younger diners who are packing lunches instead.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Yaris nameplate is not available for the United States or Canada anymore due to sales trends.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Bessent insists the rescue isn’t a bailout because under the currency swap agreement Argentina exchanges pesos for dollars.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Miami field goal After each team exchanges punts, Miami’s Carter Davis kicks a 41-yard field goal to get UM back within four of Louisville.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases.—
Harlan Vaughn,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
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Crypto mining, like AI, relies heavily on graphic processing units, or GPUs, with the chips racing to solve complicated algorithms that spit out currency rewards for correctly verifying blockchain transactions, and CoreWeave was a steady buyer.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Gabriel swaps Arj’s life with a wealthy venture capitalist, Jeff (Seth Rogen), but the plan backfires when Arj is convinced his newfound wealth has, in fact, solved all his problems.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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That swaps democratic ownership for judicial improvisation and guarantees more litigation as a strategy.—
Bedassa Tadesse,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The shutdown ended after bipartisan Senate negotiations resulted in small changes to the ACA.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
In 1981, 13,000 air traffic controllers went on strike following negotiations over pay and work schedules, but the Reagan administration fired 11,000 of them and barred them from ever working for the federal government again.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of the studios, congratulated Mulroney on her election.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
23 Sep. 2025
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Oscar nominee and Lord of the Rings alum Astin will have quite the task ahead of them at the top of next year as SAG-AFTRA returns to the negotiating table with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which collectively bargains on behalf of the major Hollywood studios.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Like a broker, Spring Creek purchases product from farmers and takes ownership of the product in the food hub's warehouse.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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And to find its trendy streetwear and accessories, OS Group purchases directly from brands such as Birth of a Royal Child, Jason Markk, Retrovert and Onyx Apparel.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Kohl's is launching its Black Friday deals weeks ahead of Thanksgiving.—
Ricardo Torres,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Keep scrolling to shop for more Early Black Friday deals on furniture and home decor at Wayfair.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Auctions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/auctions. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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