auction
/ˈɔːkʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɔːkʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈȯk-shən/ (ame, mw) · /ˈɔːk.ʃən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɑːk.ʃən/ (ame, ipa)
auction — noun
1. a sale, often open to the public, where people keep offering more money until th
a sale, often open to the public, where people keep offering more money until the item goes to whoever offers the most
Dozens of neighbors came to the church auction on Saturday morning.
collocation: church auction
The painting sold for $8,000 at a local auction in Tainan.
pattern: at auction
After the hotel closed, its chairs and tables went to auction.
Buyers raised their cards quickly during the charity book auction.
A small tea set from Kyoto drew the most attention at the auction.
- sale
a much broader word that does not require competing offers
- public sale
close in meaning but more formal and descriptive
- bidding
focuses on the offers being made, not the whole selling event
- private sale
describes a sale made directly without public bidding
- fixed-price sale
the price is set in advance instead of being raised by buyers
文法句型
at auction
go to auction
hold an auction
auction of something
用法筆記
Often appears after verbs such as hold, run, attend, and win, and with phrases like at auction or go to auction. Distinguish from verb sense 1: this sense names the event or method, while the verb names the act of selling in that way.
常見錯誤
auction — verb
1. to sell something through an auction, letting buyers compete by offering higher
to sell something through an auction, letting buyers compete by offering higher prices
The family decided to auction the farm tractor after the move.
auction + object
Next month, a local museum will auction several old maps.
Three signed jerseys were auctioned for flood relief last night.
After months of unpaid loans, the bank auctioned the empty house.
The website lets small shops auction handmade rings to overseas buyers.
文法句型
auction something
be auctioned
auction something for charity
用法筆記
Subject is often the owner, a bank, a company, or a charity, and the object is the item being sold. Frequently passive when the focus is on the item rather than on the seller.