ENGLISH
REFERENCE

audio

n. · adj.
US //ˈɑdiˌoʊ// UK //ˈɔːdɪˌəʊ// au·dio
  1. 1 sound signal or recording (n.)
    A2 Elementary Computing

    the sound that you hear from a computer, phone, or television.

    the sound or sound signal produced by or recorded on electrical or digital equipment. Often uncountable when referring to the signal itself.

    Example

    The video was great, but the audio was too quiet to hear clearly.

    Example

    The engineer spent hours cleaning up the background noise in the audio to ensure the speaker's voice was crisp and professional.

    Usage

    Often used as an uncountable noun when referring to the signal or quality of sound.
  2. 2 a sound file (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    a specific piece of recorded sound, like a voice message or a song file.

    a discrete digital recording of sound. Countable in the context of individual files or clips.

    Example

    She sent me an audio of her singing the new song.

    Example

    The journalist uploaded several audios from the interview to the cloud for the transcription team to access immediately.

    Usage

    Used as a countable noun when referring to individual digital clips or files.
Show 1 more senseShow fewer
  1. 3 related to sound (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Technical

    describing things that involve sound or the equipment used for sound.

    relating to the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound.

    Example

    He bought some expensive audio equipment for his home cinema.

    Example

    The museum provided an audio guide that explained the history of each painting as visitors walked through the gallery.
Origin

Clipping of audio-. Cognates include Sanskrit आविस् (āvís, “manifestly, evidently”) and Ancient Greek αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai, “perceive, notice”) whence English aesthetic.

Word family

© 2026 English Reference