Meaning & use
audiobook
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A recording of a book being read aloud, often available as a download or on CD.
Grammar: Countable: an audiobook, two audiobooks. Often used with listen to.
Patterns
- listen to an audiobook
- download an audiobook
- an audiobook of something
I listened to the audiobook of that novel on my drive to work.
She borrowed an audiobook from the library for her trip.
Many people prefer audiobooks because they can listen while doing other things.
Word forms
| plural | audiobooks |
|---|
Common combinations
- listen to an audiobook
- He likes to listen to an audiobook before bed.
- download an audiobook
- You can download the audiobook instantly.
- narrate an audiobook
- The author narrates her own audiobook.
- an audiobook version
- The audiobook version is read by a famous actor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- talking book
- An older term, often used for recordings for blind or visually impaired people; audiobook is the general modern term.
- recording
- A general word for any sound recording; audiobook specifically means a recorded book.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: audiobook or ebook?
audiobook vs ebook
An ebook is a digital text you read on a screen; an audiobook is a sound recording you listen to.
Practice
I often ___ an audiobook while I'm cooking dinner.
Choose one answer.
You listen to an audiobook because it is a sound recording. 'Read' is for printed or written text, 'watch' is for visual things like TV, and 'look at' does not fit with a sound recording.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “audiobook”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.