Au·di·ence n.
 1. The act of hearing; attention to sounds.
    Thou, therefore, give due audience, and attend.   --Milton.
 2. Admittance to a hearing; a formal interview, esp. with a sovereign or the head of a government, for conference or the transaction of business.
 According to the fair play of the world,
 Let me have audience: I am sent to speak.   --Shak.
 3. An auditory; an assembly of hearers. Also applied by authors to their readers.
    Fit audience find, though few.   --Milton.
    He drew his audience upward to the sky.   --Dryden.
 Court of audience, or Audience court Eng., a court long since disused, belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury; also, one belonging to the Archbishop of York. --Mozley & W.
 In general (or open) audience, publicly.
 To give audience, to listen; to admit to an interview.

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