auction

1 of 2

noun

auc·​tion ˈȯk-shən 

1

: a sale of property to the highest bidder

2

: the act or process of bidding in some card games

auction

2 of 2

verb

auctioned; auctioning ˈȯk-sh(ə-)niŋ 

transitive verb

: to sell at auction

auctioned off his library

Examples of auction in a Sentence

Noun

She bought the desk at an auction.

He made several bids at the auction.

Verb

They auctioned a similar desk last year.

The house was auctioned last week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But two years later, at a timber auction in a federal office in Roseburg, Oregon, this new day was nowhere to be seen. —April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024

Treasury yields, however, pared losses after an auction of U.S. three-year notes priced higher than expectations, suggesting market participants demanded a premium to take down the note. —Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

Verb

On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury will next auction $42 billion in 10-year notes. —Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

Portraits of Jacqueline Roque can sell for more than $50 million while paintings of Dora Maar have been auctioned for nearly $100 million. —Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin auction-, auctio, from augēre to increase — more at eke

First Known Use

Noun

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1723, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing auction

• auction bridge
• auction house
• silent auction
• up for auction

Kids Definition

auction

1 of 2 noun

auc·​tion ˈȯk-shən 

: a sale at which things are sold to those who offer to pay the most

auction

2 of 2 verb

auctioned; auctioning -sh(ə-)niŋ 

: to sell at auction

Etymology

Noun

from Latin auction-, auctio, from augēre "to increase" — related to augment

Legal Definition

auction

noun

auc·​tion

: a public sale of property to the highest bidder see also reserve