n. & v.
n. a sale of goods, usu. in public, in which articles are sold to the highest bidder.
v.tr. sell by auction. 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.
[ L auctio increase, auction f. augere auct- increase ]