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the group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert:
the audience was respectful of the speaker’s opinion.
the persons reached by a book, radio or television broadcast, etc.; public:
some works of music have a wide and varied audience.
a regular public that manifests interest, support, enthusiasm, or the like; a following:
every art form has its audience.
opportunity to be heard; chance to speak to or before a person or group; a hearing.
a formal interview with a sovereign, high officer of government, or other high-ranking person:
an audience with the pope.
the act of hearing, or attending to, words or sounds.
contemporary examples

just as no candidate spoke up in prior debates when audience members cheered executions and yelled, “let him die!”
gop’s debate theater september 22, 2011

“it was very inspiring,” said audience member eric parsons, a 53-year-old divorced father of a teenager.
romney and his campaign ooze confidence of winning white house lloyd grove january 1, 2012

imran khan speaks in urdu to his pakistani-american audience.
imran khan talks u.s. election, drone strikes shirin sadeghi november 5, 2012

instead of alienating their audience, they had critics drawing comparisons to secular heroes of literature.
the strange power of ‘fiddler on the roof’ jen vafidis october 27, 2013

“i knew that g-d had a plan for me that night,” she told the audience at the values voter summit.
the 6 craziest carrie prejean moments the daily beast video november 11, 2009

historical examples

the crowd at the morning audience of the great roman jurisconsult lessens.
ancient law sir henry james sumner maine

the moment a man begins to be conscious of an audience he is artistically d-mned.
ballads of a bohemian robert w. service

at first the audience supposed that this announcement was part of the play.
from farm house to the white house william m. thayer

then i as much dreaded the audience as i had wished for it before.
clarissa, volume 1 (of 9) samuel richardson

the actor should not stare straight into the faces of the audience, but look between them.
the n plays of j-pan arthur waley

noun
a group of spectators or listeners, esp at a public event such as a concert or play
the people reached by a book, film, or radio or television programme
the devotees or followers of a public entertainer, lecturer, etc; regular public
an opportunity to put one’s point of view, such as a formal interview with a monarch or head of state
n.

late 14c., “the action of hearing,” from old french audience, from latin audentia “a hearing, listening,” from audientum (nominative audiens), present participle of audire “to hear,” from pie compound -au-dh- “to perceive physically, grasp,” from root -au- “to perceive” (cf. greek aisthanesthai “to feel;” sanskrit avih, avestan avish “openly, evidently;” old church slavonic javiti “to reveal”). meaning “formal hearing or reception” is from late 14c.; that of “persons within hearing range, -ssembly of listeners” is from early 15c. (french audience retains only the older senses). sense transferred 1855 to “readers of a book.” audience-partic-p-tion (adj.) first recorded 1940.