audit

audit — verb

1. to formally check a company's money records and then write a report on what was

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to formally check a company's money records and then write a report on what was found

Example

Outside accountants audited the bakery's books before the owners sold it.

audit + books / money records

The city hired a new firm to audit school lunch spending.

Common collocations
  • audit the books
  • audit company accounts
  • audit spending
  • audit tax records
  • be audited
Synonyms
  • examine

    broader and less official than audit

  • inspect

    often focuses on looking closely, not especially on financial records

  • review

    less formal and can be quicker or less thorough

  • check

    the most general everyday word

Grammar Patterns

audit the accounts

audit a company

audit spending

be audited by + firm

Usage Note

The object is usually a business, account, set of records, or spending area. Passive forms are very common when the organization being checked is the subject.

Common Mistakes

The company audited by a new firm last month.
The company was audited by a new firm last month.
this passive pattern needs be before audited.

2. to sit in on a class or course without taking tests or earning official credit

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to sit in on a class or course without taking tests or earning official credit

Example

Mina audited a French class but did not take the final test.

audit a class without credit

Two retired teachers audited the history course for fun.

Common collocations
  • audit a class
  • audit a course
  • audit lectures
  • audit evening classes
  • audit chemistry
Synonyms
  • sit in on

    an everyday phrase with a similar meaning

  • attend

    broader because it does not show whether credit is given

  • observe

    can suggest watching rather than joining the class

Grammar Patterns

audit a class

audit a course

audit lectures

audit + subject

Usage Note

The object is usually a class or course, not a person. This sense means joining lessons without working for marks or credits, unlike enroll in or take for credit.

Common Mistakes

I audited the class, so I will get three credits.
I took the class for credit, so I will get three credits.
audit means you attend without earning official credit.

audit — noun

Word family

  • auditor
    nounC1
  • auditing
    nounC1
  • auditable
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For sense 1, audit is the most official and systematic choice. It usually suggests checking financial records, spending, or procedures carefully and then reporting the results. Check is the broad everyday word and can describe anything from one number to a whole list. Review often means looking over something again, sometimes in a less formal way. Inspect usually focuses on close observation for problems, often of places, equipment, or work conditions. Examine is formal but broader than audit and does not strongly suggest money records or a report. An outside firm may audit a charity's accounts, while a cashier checks a receipt and a manager reviews monthly costs.

audit ↗check ↗review ↗inspect ↗examine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • audit report
  • audit team

Phrases

  • carry out an audit
  • conduct an audit
  • go through an audit

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Audit came into English from Latin through French. The Latin verb audire meant "to hear". In earlier financial practice, accounts were often read aloud to an official listener, so the word became linked with checking money records by hearing them. Later, English widened the meaning from account-checking to other formal reviews, and then added the education sense of attending a class without taking it for credit.