Word
audit
Phoneticsau·dit, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɔdɪt/
UK/ˈɔːdɪt/
Definitions
01financial inspection
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law Formal
n. an official examination of the accounts or records of a business.
n. an independent examination of financial records and internal controls to ensure accuracy and compliance with regulations.
日本語:監査※
Español:auditoría
“The company had to provide all its receipts for the annual tax audit.”
“The internal audit revealed several discrepancies in the procurement department, leading to a complete overhaul of their reporting procedures.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'conduct', 'carry out', or 'undergo'.
Synonyms
02to check accounts
B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal
v. to officially examine financial records to make sure they are correct.
v. to conduct a formal financial or operational review of an organisation.
日本語:監査する※
“The government decided to audit the charity after some money went missing.”
“External specialists were brought in to audit the bank's risk management systems following the market crash.”
Usage
This is a transitive verb that always takes a direct object.
03to attend a class without credit
C1 · Advanced American English
v. to sit in on a university course to learn, but without taking exams or getting a grade.
v. to attend an academic course as a listener without the intention of obtaining formal credit or a grade.
“I decided to audit the history class because I was interested in the topic but too busy for extra homework.”
“Although she was a physics major, she chose to audit a series of lectures on Renaissance art to broaden her cultural horizons.”
Teaching tip
This usage is very common in North American universities but less frequent in other English-speaking regions.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “audit” in context.
Verb
01. conduct an audit
“The regulatory body decided to conduct an audit to ensure compliance with the new tax laws.”
verb + noun
02. order an audit
“The board of directors decided to order an audit of the subsidiary's financial records.”
verb + noun
03. undergo an audit
“The corporation had to undergo an audit after several discrepancies were found in their quarterly reports.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. comprehensive audit
“A comprehensive audit revealed that the company had been underreporting its international earnings.”
adj + noun
05. independent audit
“Investors requested an independent audit to verify the accuracy of the balance sheet.”
adj + noun
06. internal audit
“The internal audit helped the management identify inefficiencies in the supply chain.”
adj + noun
Noun
07. audit trail
“The software maintains a detailed audit trail of every transaction made by the users.”
noun + noun
08. results of the audit
“The results of the audit were presented to the shareholders during the annual meeting.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
09. subject to audit
“All government grants are subject to audit to prevent the misappropriation of public funds.”
adj + prep
Real-World Examples
“Additionally, higher employee churning in an accounting department was associated with higher audit fees and less accurate management forecasts.” “The same audit shows the department also doesn’t know which schools – if any – more than 30,000 K-12 students in the state attend.” Etymology
Borrowed from Latin audītus, from audiō (“I hear”). Sense of “examine” was because examinations were originally presented orally, and the examiner listened.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/audit
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0