1
: a sale of property to the highest bidder
2
: the act or process of bidding in some card games
Examples of auction in a Sentence
Noun
She bought the desk at an auction.
He made several bids at the auction.
Verb
They auctioned a similar desk last year.
The house was auctioned last week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Clara Strunck, Glamour, 11 Feb. 2025
The auction for this helmet had reached a highest bid of $167.99 before closing.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
The federal government, through the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Offshore Energy Management, plays an initial role in identifying, auctioning and permitting the offshore wind areas located in federal waters.
—Barbara Kates-Garnick, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for auction 
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Noun
Diana memorably wore the striking ring with a Versace dress for a fundraising gala in Sydney in 1996 and only donned it on one other occasion: a party celebrating the launch of her dress auction at Christie’s the following year.
—Clara Strunck, Glamour, 11 Feb. 2025
The auction for this helmet had reached a highest bid of $167.99 before closing.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
Just look at the Le Mans-winning 1964 250 LM by Scaglietti that was auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s in Paris earlier this week.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
The federal government, through the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Offshore Energy Management, plays an initial role in identifying, auctioning and permitting the offshore wind areas located in federal waters.
—Barbara Kates-Garnick, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for auction
Dictionary Entries Near auction
Cite this Entry
“Auction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auction. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
auction
1 of 2 noun
auc·tion
ˈȯk-shən 
: a sale at which things are sold to those who offer to pay the most
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