auction

[ awk-shuhn ]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to sell by auction (often followed by off ):

   He auctioned off his furniture.

auction

/ 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

verb

1. troften foll byoff to sell by auction

Other Words From

• auction·a·ble adjective
• auction·ary adjective
• pro·auction adjective
• un·auctioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of auction¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of auction¹

C16: from Latin auctiō an increasing, from augēre to increase

Example Sentences

The auction house says Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other rivals to get the "Comedian" installation of the Italian visual artist on Wednesday.

From BBC

A banana that for years has stirred controversy in the art world sold for $6.2 million with fees at Sotheby’s contemporary art auction on Wednesday night.

From New York Times

Laura Van Broekhoven, who is the director of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, said she was "outraged" at the auction and praised the decision to remove the remains from sale.

From BBC

The specific pair of shoes being auctioned feature in scenes where Dorothy stands at the gates to Oz.

From BBC

“To see that people are still auctioning our ancestral human remains in the 21st Century was shocking,” she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• sell-off