audience
[noun]
Synonyms:
- spectators, assembly, crowd, gallery, gathering, listeners, onlookers, turnout, viewers
- interview, consultation, hearing, meeting, reception

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Related Words: attention, consideration, ear, admirers, devotees, fanciers, fans, votaries

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English Thesaurus: interview, interrogation, cross-examination, consultation, audience, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

au‧di‧ence S2 W2 /ˈɔːdiəns $ ˈɒː-, ˈɑː-/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: Latin audientia 'hearing', from audire; ⇒ audio]

1. [countable also + plural verb] British English a group of people who come to watch and listen to someone speaking or performing in public:
The audience began clapping and cheering.
audience of
an audience of 250 business people
One member of the audience described the opera as ‘boring’.

2. [countable also + plural verb] British English the people who watch or listen to a particular programme, or who see or hear a particular artist’s, writer’s etc work:
The show attracts a regular audience of about 20 million.
target audience (=the type of people that a programme, advertisement etc is supposed to attract)
Goya was one of the first painters to look for a wider audience for his work.
The book is not intended for a purely academic audience.

3. [countable] a formal meeting with a very important person
audience with
He was granted an audience with the Pope.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

audience
noun
I. group of people watching/listening to sth
ADJ. big, capacity, large, mass, packed, vast, wide The museum is trying to attract a wider audience.
select, small | appreciative, enthusiastic, receptive, sympathetic | hostile | captive | potential, target | cinema, live, radio, studio, television
VERB + AUDIENCE address, perform to, play to He prefers playing to live audiences.
attract, draw, pull in Such a well-known politician should draw a big audience.
reach We want to reach a target audience that's younger in age.
captivate, grip, thrill The film has thrilled audiences throughout the country.
move The audience was visibly moved.
AUDIENCE + VERB applaud, cheer The audience cheered loudly.
boo, jeer | laugh
AUDIENCE + NOUN participation
PREP. before/in front of an/the ~ He felt nervous standing up in front of the large audience.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

audience
II. formal meeting with a very important person
ADJ. private
VERB + AUDIENCE have | ask for, request, seek | give sb, grant sb The Pope granted him an audience.
PREP. ~ with He sought a private audience with the Queen.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

audience

perform/play to an audience
The band played to huge audiences in Mexico City and Buenos Aires.
an audience laughs
He has the ability to make an audience laugh.
an audience claps
Most of the audience clapped but a few people jeered.
an audience cheers
The audience cheered loudly when he came on stage.
the audience boos
She swore at the audience and they began to boo her.
a capacity/packed audience (=the largest number of people who can fit into a hall, theatre etc)
The lecture attracted a capacity audience.
an enthusiastic audience
They drew enthusiastic audiences at Europe's biggest rock festival.
stadium audiences
Celine Dion's tour continues to play to sold-out stadium audiences across Europe.
have an audience
The programme has a massive audience, ranging from children to grandparents.
attract an audience (=make people want to watch)
The first show attracted a television audience of more than 2 million.
reach an audience
For an advertiser who wants to reach a large audience, television news easily surpasses other news media.
appeal to an audience (=be interesting to them)
They brought new fashions into their designs to appeal to a wider audience.
a large/huge etc audience
Messages posted on the Internet can attract a huge audience.
a wide audience
an author who commands a wide audience
a worldwide audience
The game has an ever-increasing worldwide audience.
a young/teenage audience
a magazine with a young audience
an older audience
The programme mainly appeals to an older audience.
a mass audience (=a very large number of people)
Radio brought entertainment to a mass audience.
a television audience (=all the people who watch or listen to a particular programme)
Nearly half the UK television audience watched the programme last Tuesday.
the target audience (=the type of people a programme etc aims to attract)
The target audience is mostly men aged 28 to 35.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

audience
noun
BAD: The priest stands in front of the bride and groom, facing the audience.
GOOD: The priest stands in front of the bride and groom, facing the congregation.

Usage Note:
audience = the people who go to watch/listen to a film, play, concert, public lecture, etc: 'The group has played to vast audiences all over the world.' 'At the end of the talk, members of the audience were invited to ask questions.'
congregation = the people who attend a church service: 'The vicar is always pleased to see new faces in the congregation.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

interview a meeting in which someone is asked questions, to find out if they are suitable for a job, or to help the police find out about a crime. Also used about someone being asked questions on TV, in a newspaper, in a magazine etc:
I’ve got another job interview tomorrow.
Since the police interview, she had changed her statement.
an interview with Keith Richards
interrogation an occasion when someone is asked a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information, sometimes using threats, usually by the police or the army:
He claims he was tortured during his interrogation.
Police interrogation methods have been questioned.
cross-examination an occasion when someone is asked questions about what they have just said, in order to see if they are telling the truth, especially in a court of law:
Under cross-examination, the only witness said she could not be sure about what she saw.
consultation a meeting with a doctor or an expert to discuss treatment or to get advice:
The therapist charges $100 for a half hour consultation.
Would you like to come back for another consultation?
audience a formal meeting with a very important person:
He was granted an audience with the Pope.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

watch to look at someone or something for a period of time and pay attention to what is happening:
They were all watching the game.
I watched him get out of his car.
We are watching carefully to see how the situation develops.
keep an eye on somebody/something to watch someone or something carefully so that you are prepared if anything bad happens:
The doctors are keeping a careful eye on her.
Can you keep an eye on my bag for me?
Keep an eye on house prices before you decide to sell.
observe to watch someone or something carefully in order to learn more about them:
A 24-hour camera is being used to observe the birds’ behaviour.
During your teacher training you will be encouraged to observe lessons.
monitor to watch a situation carefully to see how it changes over a period of time:
Class teachers are responsible for monitoring the progress of each student.
Economists are monitoring the situation carefully.
spy on somebody to watch someone secretly in order to find out what they are doing:
He hired a private detective to spy on her.
In the 1960s, government agencies were spying on everybody.
spectator someone who watches an event, especially a sports event:
There were 4,500 spectators at the game.
a crowd of spectators
viewer someone who watches television:
Millions of television viewers listened to the President’s speech.
programmes for younger viewers
audience the people who watch a play or performance, or the people who watch a particular television programme:
The audience roared with laughter and clapped.
It attracted a television audience of seven million.
onlooker someone who watches something happening without being involved in it, especially in the street:
A man was standing on the roof, watched by a crowd of onlookers below.
observer someone who watches and pays attention to particular situations and events, because they are interested in them, or it is their job:
She was a shrewd observer of human nature.
a political observer who writes for The Independent newspaper
The United Nations has sent military observers to the Sudan.
look at/glance at your watch
I looked at my watch. It was 4.30.
check/consult your watch
He checked his watch and saw that it was only 2.15.
a watch says ...
My watch says twenty past one.
put your watch forward (=make it show a later time)
The passengers were reminded to put their watches forward three hours.
put your watch back (=make it show an earlier time)
On Saturday night, don’t forget to put your watch back an hour.
set your watch (=make it show the correct time)
I set my watch by the clock on the mantelpiece.
wear a watch
He wore a gold watch.
a watch stops
Her watch had stopped after getting wet in the sea.
sb’s watch is fast/runs fast (=it shows a later time)
No, it’s only 12.15 – your watch must be fast.
sb’s watch is slow/runs slow (=it shows an earlier time)
'He’s late.' 'Maybe his watch is running slow.'

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲