auction

American  

[awk-shuhn] / ˈɔk ʃən /

noun

1. Also called public sale.  a publicly held sale at which property or goods are sold to the highest bidder.

2. Cards.

   1. auction bridge.

   2. (in bridge or certain other games) the competitive bidding to fix a contract that a player or players undertake to fulfill.

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verb (used with object)

1. to sell by auction (often followed byoff ).

   He auctioned off his furniture.

auction British  

/ ˈɔːkʃən /

noun

1. a public sale of goods or property, esp one in which prospective purchasers bid against each other until the highest price is reached Compare Dutch auction

2. the competitive calls made in bridge and other games before play begins, undertaking to win a given number of tricks if a certain suit is trumps

3. See auction bridge

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verb

1. to sell by auction

Other Word Forms

• auctionable adjective
• auctionary adjective
• proauction adjective
• unauctioned adjective

Etymology

Origin of auction

1585–95; < Latin auctiōn- (stem of auctiō ) an increase, especially in the bidding at a sale, equivalent to auct ( us ) increased, past participle of augēre ( aug- increase + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

In an auction, items are sold without price tags — whoever bids the highest gets to buy it, whether it’s a painting, a car, or a set of old dishes. You can hold an auction, or auction something. You might have seen auction scenes in classy old movies where the characters bid on paintings by politely raising their hands as the auctioneer calls out a price. Auctions aren’t always high-fallutin’, though — many cities auction off cars they’ve confiscated from criminals.

Example Sentences

There could be more, but they probably would have gone to auction by now.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The agency auction is in the early stages, according to three people close to the process but not authorized to comment.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Ships transiting the canal book their passage well in advance, and ships without bookings wait an average of five days to get through, but there is an auction where last-minute transits can be purchased.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

The Onion initially bid $1.75 million for Infowars during an auction in September 2024 The bid was initially accepted, but was later rejected by a judge.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

After the departure of the 7:45 train at 8:07, the day culminated with the much-anticipated Daughters of the American Revolution auction.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

Related Words

• sell-off