audience
UK: ˈɔːdiəns | US: ˈɑːdiəns
n. a group of people gathered to watch, listen to, or engage with a performance, speech, or event
n. the readership or viewership of a publication, broadcast, or digital content
n. a formal meeting with a person of authority (e.g., an audience with the pope)
The word "audience" originates from Latin audientia ("a hearing, listening"), derived from audire ("to hear"). The morpheme audi- (hear) appears in many English words (e.g., "audio," "auditory"), while -ence is a noun-forming suffix indicating a state or action. The term evolved in Old French (audience) to denote a judicial hearing or formal reception, later broadening to its modern sense of spectators or listeners.
The audience applauded loudly after the concert.
The film targets a young adult audience.
She requested a private audience with the queen.
The podcast has a global audience of millions.
The speaker adjusted his tone to engage the audience.