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
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
Then the government audited outcomes, looking at factors such as how well patients were able to speak and how well their jaws aligned.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 6 Mar. 2024
Some people will be audited because of these upgrades and change their behavior.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Scam investments, by contrast, will either not have audited financial statements or the auditor will be —as with Bernie Madoff — some guy working in a nearby closet.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Chambers said the agency already gets audited, and that for every big business that's lifted up, hundreds of smaller ones get a boost, too.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The state’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, composed of four senators and four House representatives, approved the investigation, which will be conducted by the Office of Performance Evaluations, an independent office that audits state agencies.
—Wilson Criscione, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2024
Chinese authorities are examining the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in China Evergrande Group’s accounting practices after the developer was accused of a $78 billion fraud, ramping up pressure on the global accounting giant that audited a slew of developers before the sector’s meltdown.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 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
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
Then the government audited outcomes, looking at factors such as how well patients were able to speak and how well their jaws aligned.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 6 Mar. 2024
Some people will be audited because of these upgrades and change their behavior.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Scam investments, by contrast, will either not have audited financial statements or the auditor will be —as with Bernie Madoff — some guy working in a nearby closet.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Chambers said the agency already gets audited, and that for every big business that's lifted up, hundreds of smaller ones get a boost, too.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The state’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, composed of four senators and four House representatives, approved the investigation, which will be conducted by the Office of Performance Evaluations, an independent office that audits state agencies.
—Wilson Criscione, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2024
Chinese authorities are examining the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in China Evergrande Group’s accounting practices after the developer was accused of a $78 billion fraud, ramping up pressure on the global accounting giant that audited a slew of developers before the sector’s meltdown.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 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 26 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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