audible

American  

[aw-duh-buhl] / ˈɔ də bəl /

adjective

1. loud enough to be heard; able to be heard.

   The pun brought an audible groan from his colleague.

   When I’m working in the basement, the sound of the traffic is barely audible.

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noun

1. Also called automatic, checkoff.  Football. a play called aloud by the quarterback at the line of scrimmage to supersede the play originally agreed upon as a result of a change in strategy.

   The quarterback called an audible that sent the running back past the other offensive guard.

   Cheering by the fans made it hard for either team to hear any audibles.

idioms

1. call an audible, to make a last-minute change of plan in response to circumstances, new information, etc..

   Instead of the first song on their set list, the band called an audible and played one that was known to be especially popular on campus.

audible British  

/ ˈɔːdɪbəl /

adjective

1. perceptible to the hearing; loud enough to be heard

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noun

1. American football a change of playing tactics called by the quarterback when the offense is lined up at the line of scrimmage

Other Word Forms

• audibility noun
• audibleness noun
• audibly adverb
• nonaudibility noun
• nonaudible adjective
• nonaudibleness noun
• nonaudibly adverb
• quasi-audible adjective
• quasi-audibly adverb
• subaudibility noun
• subaudible adjective
• subaudibleness noun
• subaudibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of audible

First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin audībilis, from Latin audī(re) “to hear” + -bilis -ble

Explanation

Something audible can be heard. Sometimes things that people don't want others to hear become audible, such as a growling stomach during a quiet moment at the movies. Coming from the Latin audīre, "to hear," audible is an adjective meaning "heard" or "hearable." A scream is audible, a barking dog next door is audible, and a siren is audible. Why do some writers use the expression "a barely audible whisper?" Isn’t that what a whisper is — something you can barely hear?

Example Sentences

When I tune into “SNL” these days, I find myself getting an audible laugh out of maybe a third of the night’s sketches.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

The war is a distant drumbeat, its threat ever audible to Steele’s underemployed, eminently draftable characters from 9,000 miles away.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Among NASA's team in Houston, there were "audible screams of delight" from scientists when the crew described flashes of light caused by meteorite impact, Young said.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Their task was to adjust the volume until each sound was just barely audible over the noise.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

This creates an audible, predictable pulse that helps the musicians to coordinate what they are doing so that they sound good together.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• deafening
• detectable
• discernible
• distinct
• loud
• perceptible
• resounding
• sounding