# audit

Pronunciation: say "AW-dit" US /ˈɔ.dɪt/, UK /ˈɔː.dɪt/

## Noun

1. An independent review of records and activities that checks whether system controls are adequate, confirms compliance with established policies and procedures, and recommends necessary changes.
   - Simple: A careful, independent check of a company's records to make sure rules are followed and to suggest fixes.
   - _The annual audit revealed that several departments had ignored the new approval rules._
   - _Regulators ordered an independent audit of the bank's lending records._
5. The outcome of an audit, or an account after auditors have adjusted it; the final, settled account.
   - Simple: The final, corrected account that auditors produce after checking the records.
   - _The completed audit became the official record of the company's finances for that year._
   - _Shareholders received the year-end audit, with every adjusted entry clearly marked._
6. A general examination or close inspection of something.
   - Simple: A careful check or examination of something.
   - _She carried out a thorough audit of her monthly spending habits._
   - _The team began an audit of the project's progress before the deadline._
7. A formal examination carried out by a court of law.
   - Simple: A legal check of something carried out by a court.
   - _The judge demanded a full audit of the contested will before ruling._
   - _Both parties awaited the court's audit of the financial dispute._
9. Spiritual counseling that forms the central practice of Dianetics and Scientology.
   - Simple: Spiritual counseling that lies at the heart of Dianetics.
   - _He credited years of audit with changing his outlook on life._
   - _The church charges set fees for each session of audit._

## Verb

2. To independently review a system's records and activities to test whether data security and integrity procedures work, confirm compliance with policy, and recommend changes.
   - Simple: To carefully check a system's records to test how safe its data is and make sure rules are followed.
   - _Independent consultants audit the bank's data systems to check for security gaps._
   - _Regulators require firms to audit their record-keeping procedures every year._
3. To examine the figures in an account and make any adjustments needed to set them right.
   - Simple: To check the numbers in an account and correct any mistakes.
   - _The bookkeepers audit each ledger and correct any entries that don't balance._
   - _We need someone to audit these accounts before we file them._
4. To attend a course as a listener, without taking it for academic credit.
   - Simple: To sit in on a class to learn, but without getting a grade or credit for it.
   - _Many seniors audit university lectures simply for the love of learning._
   - _She decided to audit the seminar instead of taking it for a grade._
8. To give spiritual counseling to someone, as in the practice of Scientology and Dianetics.
   - Simple: To give someone spiritual guidance, as practiced in Scientology.
   - _Experienced practitioners audit church members in private one-on-one sessions._
   - _She trained for years before she could audit others._

## Noun

10. A formal hearing or audience granted to someone who wishes to be heard. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A meeting where someone is given a chance to be heard.
11. Something that serves as a general receptacle, receiving and holding whatever is brought or sent to it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Something that takes in and holds things of many kinds, a place where everything ends up.

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin audītus, from audiō ("I hear"). The sense of "examine" arose because examinations were originally presented orally, and the examiner listened.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/audit (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).