noun
auction
AWK-shuhn
noun
1
A public sale in which goods or property are sold to whoever bids the highest price.
"The house went to auction and sold for well above the asking price."
"Bidders packed the room for the charity auction."
verb
1
To sell something at an auction.
"The gallery decided to auction off the collection piece by piece."
How to Use Auction
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA sale where buyers compete by offering higher and higher prices until one wins.
Common pairings
put up for auction
auction off
silent auction
online auction
Word Forms
auctioned past tense, auctions plural, auctions singular
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Etymology
From Latin auctio, "an increase," from augere, "to increase" — because the price climbs as people bid.