Also called public sale. a publicly held sale at which property or goods are sold to the highest bidder.
Cards.
auction bridge.
(in bridge or certain other games) the competitive bidding to fix a contract that a player or players undertake to fulfill.
verb (used with object)
to sell by auction (often followed by off): He auctioned off his furniture.
Origin of auction
1585–95; <Latin auctiōn- (stem of auctiō) an increase, especially in the bidding at a sale, equivalent to auct(us) increased, past participle of augēre (aug- increase + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn--ion
Warren is very proud of the fact that he purchased Pegasus at an auction for $400.
Inside an FKT Attempt on the Appalachian Trail|Martin Fritz Huber|September 3, 2020|Outside Online
It still included an online auction, live-streamed events, and a bachelor auction among the adjusted activities.
CAMP Rehoboth offers free tickets to Labor Day event|Philip Van Slooten|September 2, 2020|Washington Blade
DuckDuckGo further claims that adopting a version of its recommended choice screen, presumably without the auction, would dramatically improve the market share of Google’s competitors.
DuckDuckGo: Google’s mobile share would drop 20% with new search choice screen|Greg Sterling|August 10, 2020|Search Engine Land
CPCs and CPMs to compete in ad auctions vary widely by country.
5 tips for starting international PPC|Tim Jensen|July 31, 2020|Search Engine Land
In some campaigns, traffic has increased, but this is due to the fact that the auction has been released.
Marketing strategies during COVID-19 times|Evelina Brown|July 13, 2020|Search Engine Watch
This return scam involved purchasing broken electronics off the auction site and then buying new items off store shelves.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Along the Prado they used to sell slaves on the auction block, too.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The intention is to create a 21st century auction house,” Gilkes says.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even though this is the second auction, it will technically be the first time this has happened.
Sotheby’s for Sex: The Problem with Auctioning Off Sex with A Porn Star|Aurora Snow|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both ideas are admirable, and quite possibly necessary to save American democracy from the auction block.
Undo Citizens United? We’d Only Scratch the Surface|Jedediah Purdy|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For such are imported, of course, and sold at auction as they arrive.
About Orchids|Frederick Boyle
The estate agents run a complimentary special train for people going down to bid, and give a lunch before the auction begins.
In the Year of Jubilee|George Gissing
Although the auction was over, the air of Friendship still vibrated from the stir.
Mr. Pat's Little Girl|Mary F. Leonard
These grew tired of waiting and many of them went home long before the auction was over.
Roughing It|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Or he would send the goods to London and sell them by auction; and they would each take half the proceeds.
Mrs. Thompson|William Babington Maxwell
British Dictionary definitions for auction
auction
/ (ˈɔːkʃən) /
noun
a public sale of goods or property, esp one in which prospective purchasers bid against each other until the highest price is reachedCompare Dutch auction
the competitive calls made in bridge and other games before play begins, undertaking to win a given number of tricks if a certain suit is trumps
See auction bridge
verb
(tr often foll by off) to sell by auction
Word Origin for auction
C16: from Latin auctiō an increasing, from augēre to increase