1
a
: a formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation
The audit showed that the company had misled investors.
b
: the final report of an audit
2
: a methodical examination and review
an energy audit of the house
audited; auditing; audits
1
: to perform an audit of or for
audit the books
audit the company
2
: to attend (a course) without working for or expecting to receive formal credit
audited a foreign language course
Synonyms
Examples of audit in a Sentence
Noun
The Internal Revenue Service selected us for an audit.
You will need all your records if you are selected for audit by the IRS.
Verb
They audit the company books every year.
The Internal Revenue Service audited him twice in 10 years.
I audited an English literature class last semester.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bradford Betz, Fox News, 21 Apr. 2024
But the overpayment total also includes billions more that was paid to people who should not have been receiving the money, the audit said.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
The audit also noted failures in the city’s handling of a 2017 lease for a repair yard in Kearny Mesa and the purchase of a hotel along Palm Avenue the same year.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
It was accompanied by a broader statewide audit finding California’s lead homelessness agency hasn’t tracked most of its $24 billion in spending since 2018.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
The higher audit rate for people who claim the EITC has sparked criticism from policy experts.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Inspectors had found millions of dollars in missing expenses in a recent audit of HACM's section 8 office.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
That audit was done by Prismatic Services, the K-12 education consulting firm the district hired at the request of board members in August.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 10 Apr. 2024
Officials found that administrators were using HUD vouchers funds to cover other agency expenses during an audit that began in 2018.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Including policing and transport costs, the portion of the bill for French taxpayers is likely to be around 3 billion euros ($3.25 billon), France's body for auditing public funds said in its most recent study in July.
—John Leicester, Quartz, 15 Apr. 2024
The law, which takes effect in July, has consequences for civilian oversight panels that in more than 20 Florida counties and cities look into citizen complaints against officers by using public records and witness interviews and by auditing police investigations.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Middle-class taxpayers are also much less likely to get audited today.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Teach them to recognize security threats and the importance of responsible use.
· Regularly review and audit user access rights.
—David Balaban, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
During the meeting, the board heard from parents and community members, as well as consultants who are auditing the district's finances and helping the administration chart a new financial course.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
Kansas, however, chooses which elections to audit through a completely random process after an election is over.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Three years later, the IRS began auditing Rotta after obtaining evidence of unreported foreign financial accounts.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Noun
Fox News Digital reached out to Santa Monica officials questioning how the city will ensure funds are spent efficiently in light of the audit’s findings.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 21 Apr. 2024
But the overpayment total also includes billions more that was paid to people who should not have been receiving the money, the audit said.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024
The audit also noted failures in the city’s handling of a 2017 lease for a repair yard in Kearny Mesa and the purchase of a hotel along Palm Avenue the same year.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
It was accompanied by a broader statewide audit finding California’s lead homelessness agency hasn’t tracked most of its $24 billion in spending since 2018.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
The higher audit rate for people who claim the EITC has sparked criticism from policy experts.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Inspectors had found millions of dollars in missing expenses in a recent audit of HACM's section 8 office.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
That audit was done by Prismatic Services, the K-12 education consulting firm the district hired at the request of board members in August.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 10 Apr. 2024
Officials found that administrators were using HUD vouchers funds to cover other agency expenses during an audit that began in 2018.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
Amid questions about the accounting firm auditing Trump Media & Technology Group’s financial records, company documents show that the platform’s chief financial officer made four times as much as CEO Devin Nunes in stock awards.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Including policing and transport costs, the portion of the bill for French taxpayers is likely to be around 3 billion euros ($3.25 billon), France's body for auditing public funds said in its most recent study in July.
—John Leicester, Quartz, 15 Apr. 2024
The law, which takes effect in July, has consequences for civilian oversight panels that in more than 20 Florida counties and cities look into citizen complaints against officers by using public records and witness interviews and by auditing police investigations.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Middle-class taxpayers are also much less likely to get audited today.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Teach them to recognize security threats and the importance of responsible use.
· Regularly review and audit user access rights.
—David Balaban, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
During the meeting, the board heard from parents and community members, as well as consultants who are auditing the district's finances and helping the administration chart a new financial course.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
Kansas, however, chooses which elections to audit through a completely random process after an election is over.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Three years later, the IRS began auditing Rotta after obtaining evidence of unreported foreign financial accounts.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'audit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near audit
Cite this Entry
“Audit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audit. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
audit
1 of 2 noun
au·dit
ˈȯd-ət 
1
: a thorough check of accounts especially of a business
2
: a careful check or review
an energy audit of our house
audit
2 of 2 verb
: to make an audit of
Legal Definition
audit
noun
au·dit
ˈȯ-dət
: a formal examination of financial records often to uncover fraud or inaccurate tax returns
also
: the final report of such an examination
audit
verb
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