auditor

noun

au·​di·​tor ˈȯ-də-tər 

1

: a person authorized to examine and verify accounts

2

: one who hears or listens

especially : one who is a member of an audience

3

: a person who audits a course of study

4

: a person who hears something (such as a court case) in the capacity of judge

Did you know?

The auditing of a company's financial records by independent examiners on a regular basis is necessary to prevent "cooking the books", and thus to keep the company honest. We don't normally think of auditors as listening, since looking at and adding up numbers is their basic line of work, but auditors do have to listen to people's explanations, and perhaps that's the historical link. Hearing is more obviously part of another meaning of audit, the kind that college students do when they sit in on a class without taking exams or receiving an official grade.

Examples of auditor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Subplots like his minority investment in the sleazy nightclub The Snakehole Lounge afforded him the opportunity to showcase a stunning variety of little coats, unlike Scott, whose stern and straight-laced state auditor Ben Wyatt seemingly never changes into anything less formal. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025

The filing also mentions the recent change in independent auditors, with Bush & Associates CPA replacing Olayinka Oyebola & Co. due to charges against the latter by the SEC. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2025

The firms that move first and modernize workflows while keeping auditors in control will define the profession’s future. —William Tarr, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Nonprofit organizations that receive over $750,000 in federal grant funding are required to contract an independent auditor to review their legal compliance. —Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English auditour "hearer, listener, official who examines and verifies accounts," borrowed from Anglo-French auditur, auditour, borrowed from Medieval Latin audītor "hearer, hearer of pleas (in court or Parliament), official who examines accounts," going back to Latin, "hearer, listener, disciple," from audīre "to hear" + -tor, agent suffix — more at audible entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

auditor

noun

au·​di·​tor ˈȯd-ət-ər 

1

: a person who listens to or hears something or someone

especially : a member of an audience

2

: a person who audits accounts

Legal Definition

auditor

noun

au·​di·​tor ˈȯ-də-tər 

1

: a person qualified and authorized to examine and verify financial records

2

: a referee appointed by a court in a civil action

especially : one designated to prepare an account for the court see also master