audit

1 of 2

noun

au·​dit ˈȯ-dət How to pronounce audit (audio)
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 noun
auditable adjective
auditee noun

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 audit was approved in October 2021 in the wake of the federal indictment of L.A. City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, who served on the Board of Supervisors from 2008 to 2020. . Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024 The audit also found the conditional release program has cost the state $93 million to place and monitor 56 participants on release — an average of $1.6 million per participant. Teri Figueroa, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
The office does not audit those reports, but Mendoza said 666 of the 7,177 units of government required to file them are late in doing so. Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2024 Companies can consider setting up a data governance committee responsible for auditing data collection practices and ensuring compliance with ethical standards. Mani Padisetti, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for audit 

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.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of audit was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near audit

Cite this Entry

“Audit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audit. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

audit

1 of 2 noun
au·​dit ˈȯd-ət How to pronounce audit (audio)
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 How to pronounce audit (audio)
: a formal examination of financial records often to uncover fraud or inaccurate tax returns
also : the final report of such an examination
audit verb

More from Merriam-Webster on audit

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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