audit

1 of 2

noun

au·​dit ˈȯ-dət 

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

audit

2 of 2

verb

audited; auditing; audits

transitive verb

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

auditability

ˌȯ-də-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

auditable

ˌȯ-di-tə-bəl 

adjective

auditee

ˌȯ-də-ˈtē 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• check
• checkup
• examination
• going-over
• inspection
• look-see
• review
• scan
• scrutiny
• survey
• view

Verb

• check (out)
• con
• examine
• inspect
• overlook
• oversee
• review
• scan
• scrutinize
• survey
• view

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

Noun

The last audit of the facility was in 2014, over a decade ago, according to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, before the jail located in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood was opened. —Ryan Young, CNN Money, 24 May 2025

Conduct an audit of your practices to ensure objectivity is embedded into workplace systems and consider different ways to hold leaders accountable for cultivating an inclusive and equitable environment. —Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025

Verb

But that order was later rescinded by Mr. Trump, who said Paul Weiss had agreed to a litany of compromises, like auditing its hiring practices and dedicating $40 million to pro bono legal services on causes that both the firm and the Trump administration agree upon. —Joe Walsh, CBS News, 23 May 2025

For example, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Santos forged the signature of a bookkeeping firm employee to falsely represent that the firm had audited a financial statement claiming Ethos had over $2.2 billion in total assets. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English audyte "examination of accounts, judicial hearing," borrowed from Medieval Latin audītus "sense of hearing, act of listening, right to judicial hearing, examination of accounts," going back to Latin, "sense or act of hearing," from audīre "to hear" + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at audible entry 1

Note: The sense "examination of accounts," attested relatively late in Medieval Latin, is based on the word audītor, which in the meaning "one who examines accounts" is recorded much earlier—see auditor.

Verb

Middle English audyten, derivative of audyte audit entry 1; in sense 2 back-formation from auditor

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing audit

• audit trail

Rhymes for audit

• caudate

Kids 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