An audience is a group of people gathered to watch, listen to, or experience something. When you perform in a school play, everyone sitting in those seats watching you is the audience. When the President gives a speech, the audience might include thousands of people in an arena plus millions more watching on television.

An audience is present and paying attention. A good speaker, performer, or writer thinks carefully about their audience. A comedian telling jokes to elementary school students uses different material than one performing for adults. A scientist explaining her research to other scientists uses technical language, but when explaining it to a general audience, she explains it more simply without talking down to people.

Sometimes the word describes the people who regularly enjoy someone's work. An author might have a large audience of readers who buy each new book. A popular video game streamer has built an audience of loyal viewers.

You can also have an audience with someone important, meaning a formal meeting or conversation. In historical times, people might request an audience with a king or queen. Today, you might get a brief audience with a busy principal or an admired author after a book reading.