audience
Audience (noun) means the group of people watching or listening to a performance, speech, or broadcast. Example: “The comedian had the audience laughing within seconds.”
How to use audience
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe people who watch, read, or listen to something — or a formal meeting with someone powerful.
Word forms
audiences plural
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The comedian had the _____ laughing within seconds.
Etymology
From Latin audientia, "hearing," from audire, "to hear."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for audience
See all rhymes for audience →Frequently asked questions
What does “audience” mean?
The word “audience” means the group of people watching or listening to a performance, speech, or broadcast. In plain terms, the people who watch, read, or listen to something — or a formal meeting with someone powerful.
How do you pronounce “audience”?
“Audience” is pronounced AW-dee-uhns (/ˈɔːdi.əns/ in IPA).
How do you use “audience” in a sentence?
Here is “audience” used in a sentence: “The comedian had the audience laughing within seconds.”
What is another word for “audience”?
Words with a similar meaning to “audience” include hearership and listenership.
What part of speech is “audience”?
“Audience” is a noun.
Where does the word “audience” come from?
The word “audience” comes from Latin. From Latin audientia, "hearing," from audire, "to hear.".
Is “audience” a common word?
“Audience” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “audience” have?
“Audience” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the group of people watching or listening to a performance, speech, or broadcast.
What is the difference between an audience and a crowd?
A crowd is just a large group of people gathered in one place, often with no shared focus. An audience is gathered specifically to watch or listen to something — a performance, speech or broadcast — so it has a common point of attention. Every audience is a kind of crowd, but not every crowd is an audience.
What are the different types of audience?
There are live audiences seated at an event, studio audiences present for a recording, and broadcast audiences watching or listening from home. In marketing, a 'target audience' is the specific group a message is aimed at, while writers speak of their readership as an audience too. The word stretches across every medium.
Can 'audience' mean a formal meeting?
Yes. Besides the group watching a performance, an audience can be a formal interview or meeting granted by an important or powerful person. Phrases like 'an audience with the Pope' or 'a royal audience' use this older sense, where being given an audience means being allowed time to speak with someone of high rank.
What is an example of an audience?
The people filling the seats at a concert are an audience — they have come to watch and listen together. Other examples include viewers tuning in to a television broadcast, listeners of a radio show or podcast, and the readers of a magazine, all of whom receive the same performance or message.
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