n. & v.
--n. a sale of goods, usu. in public, in which articles are sold to the highest bidder.
--v.tr. sell by auction.
Phrases and idioms:
auction bridge
1. a form of bridge in which players bid for the right to name trumps.
2 the sequence of bids made at bridge. Dutch auction a sale, usu. public, of goods in which the price is reduced by the auctioneer until a buyer is found.
Etymology: L auctio increase, auction f. augere auct- increase