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Today, "audition" most often refers to a theatrical tryout, but that wasn't always the case. "Audition" is rooted in the Latin verb audire, meaning "to hear," and was first used in the late 16th century to refer to the power or sense of hearing. "Audire" is also the root of such "hearing" words in English as "audible," "audience" (which first meant "the act or state of hearing"), and the prefix audio-, which appears in various words relating to sound. It wasn't until late 19th century that the noun "audition" began being used for an entertainer's trial performance. And the verb audition, meaning "to test or try out in an audition," didn't appear on the English language stage until the mid-20th century.
Examples of audition in a Sentence
Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Aug. 2024
In an Instagram Reel posted by Teigen, 38, on Thursday, Aug. 8, the model and her daughters Luna Simone, 8, and Esti Maxine, 17 months, parodied Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, hosting a fake audition in their own home.
—Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2024
Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
Owens auditioned for the 49ers at their local pro day in April.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for audition 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'audition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Audition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audition. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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audition
1 of 2 noun
audition
2 of 2 verbMedical Definition
audition
noun
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