1
: a sale of property to the highest bidder
2
: the act or process of bidding in some card games
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
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
Before the auction, the lots will be shown in a free public exhibition from February 1 to February 8 in the town’s Bujairi Terrace, a spot known for its high-end restaurants.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
The sale, which was required by Congress, marks the second time in four years that an effort to auction oil and gas leases in the pristine wilderness — home to migrating caribou, polar bears, musk oxen, millions of birds and other wildlife — has been a flop.
—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for auction 
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.
Noun
The auctions happen daily on WeChat, a Chinese social media and mobile payments app.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
Before the auction, the lots will be shown in a free public exhibition from February 1 to February 8 in the town’s Bujairi Terrace, a spot known for its high-end restaurants.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
Swimmer Ryan Lochte auctioned off his six Olympic silver and bronze medals the same year, with the $166,779 raised going to an organization benefitting children.
—Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
The sale, which was required by Congress, marks the second time in four years that an effort to auction oil and gas leases in the pristine wilderness — home to migrating caribou, polar bears, musk oxen, millions of birds and other wildlife — has been a flop.
—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for auction
Dictionary Entries Near auction
Cite this Entry
“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auction. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share