Meaning & use
audits
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“audits” is a form of “audit”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralfinancebusiness
Official checks of a company's or person's financial records to make sure they are accurate and honest.
Grammar: Plural of audit: the audits are done every year.
Patterns
- audits of something
- annual audits
The company undergoes two financial audits each year.
Tax audits can take months to complete.
Independent audits help investors trust the figures.
nounpluralbusiness
Careful, official inspections of how something works, such as safety, energy use or quality.
Grammar: Often named by what is checked: safety audits, energy audits.
Patterns
- safety audits
- audits of something
Regular safety audits found several faulty fire exits.
The school carried out energy audits to cut its bills.
Quality audits ensure each factory follows the same standards.
verbtransitivebusiness
Examines official records or a system, as the third person singular form of audit.
Grammar: Takes an object: she audits the accounts.
Patterns
- audits the accounts
She audits the accounts of three small charities.
The agency audits every department once a year.
He audits the safety records before each inspection.
Word forms
| singular | audit |
|---|---|
| third person singular | audits |
| past tense | audited |
| -ing form | auditing |
Common combinations
- financial audits
- Financial audits are required for all public companies.
- conduct audits
- The firm conducts audits for banks and hospitals.
- annual audits
- Annual audits must be filed with the regulator.
- safety audits
- Safety audits revealed several hazards.
- pass audits
- The lab must pass audits to keep its license.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inspections
- Inspections is broader and covers any careful look, while audits usually refers to systematic checking of records or procedures.
- reviews
- Reviews is lighter and may be informal, whereas audits are formal and often required by law.
- examinations
- Examinations stresses close study of something, while audits stress checking against rules or accuracy.
- checks
- Checks is general and casual, while audits are organized and thorough.
Word family
Commonly confused: audits or audience? audits or edits?
audits vs audience
Audience is a group of people who watch or listen. It shares a Latin root with audit, but an audit is a check of records.
audits vs edits
Edits means changes made to text. Audits means official checks of records or procedures.
Practice
The regulator ______ the company's accounts every year to make sure they are accurate.
Choose one answer.
Audits is the third person singular verb and takes the accounts as its object. Edits means changing text, applauds means clapping, and audits to is ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “audits”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.