experience
Americannoun
-
experiences
plural
-
a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something.
My encounter with the bear in the woods was a frightening experience.
-
the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something.
business experience.
-
the observing, encountering, or undergoing of things generally as they occur in the course of time.
to learn from experience; the range of human experience.
-
knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone.
a man of experience.
-
Philosophy. the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood, and remembered.
verb (used with object)
-
experiences,
present (3rd person singular)
-
experienced,
past participle, past
-
experiencing
present participle
idioms
noun
-
direct personal participation or observation; actual knowledge or contact
experience of prison life
-
a particular incident, feeling, etc, that a person has undergone
an experience to remember
-
accumulated knowledge, esp of practical matters
a man of experience
-
-
the totality of characteristics, both past and present, that make up the particular quality of a person, place, or people
-
the impact made on an individual by the culture of a people, nation, etc
the American experience
-
-
philosophy
-
the content of a perception regarded as independent of whether the apparent object actually exists Compare sense datum
-
the faculty by which a person acquires knowledge of contingent facts about the world, as contrasted with reason
-
the totality of a person's perceptions, feelings, and memories
-
verb
-
to participate in or undergo
-
to be emotionally or aesthetically moved by; feel
to experience beauty
Usage
What is another way to say experience? To experience something is to meet with it or feel it firsthand. How is experience different from undergo? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
preexperiencenoun
-
reexperienceverb
-
experienceableadjective
-
experiencelessadjective
-
postexperienceadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
experiencesimple
-
experiencessimple
-
have experiencedperfect
-
has experiencedperfect
-
am experiencingprogressive
-
are experiencingprogressive
-
is experiencingprogressive
-
have been experiencingperfect progressive
-
has been experiencingperfect progressive
Past
-
experiencedsimple
-
had experiencedperfect
-
was experiencingprogressive
-
were experiencingprogressive
-
had been experiencingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of experience
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin experientia, equivalent to experient- (stem of experiēns, past participle of experīrī “to try, test”; see ex- 1, peril) + -ia noun suffix; see -ence
Explanation
If you experience something, you go through an unusual or exciting event. If you're experiencing the world's loopiest roller coaster, you'd better hope that the amusement park doesn't experience a power outage. Sometimes experience means accumulated knowledge and sometimes it refers to a single spectacular event. If you have experience in cooking, you have worked in a restaurant before. Learning by experience is a method of acquiring knowledge by doing and not by reading. On the other hand, when you come back from summer camp, your mom will want to hear about your experiences. And white-water rafting is quite an unforgettable experience.
Vocabulary lists containing experience
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Schooled
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Williams was inspired to become a facilitator because of her own experience with perimenopause and chronic pain.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Reza Baqir of Alvarez & Marsal's Sovereign Advisory Services said he has experience with the difficult trade-offs policymakers in low-income countries face in such crises.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Siblings, for all their relationship complexities, usually have deep experience arguing and making up, which has built trust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“You can’t replace the experience of going through a play with someone together, whether you’re an audience member or the artist, of experiencing from Shakespeare’s stories to beyond,” Rosoff said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
For Vellacott, coming into contact with the wreck of a slave ship is an intensely personal experience.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
"What we've seen through the menopause cafe is that women's experiences don't fit neatly into boxes," Williams said.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Ms. Hoyer consigns Weirich’s wartime experiences to an epilogue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Rather than simply disrupting memory, stress can sometimes help the brain identify which experiences deserve special attention and strengthen the networks involved in preserving them.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Indonesia experiences wildfires regularly during its annual dry season, but this year's blazes have been exacerbated by a strong cycle of the El Nino weather phenomenon, which tends to bring drought to the country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Though he’d only been gone from the United States two months, Bobby had taken from his competitive experiences more than just bragging rights.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
In a report last month, it surveyed nearly 200 creators, clinical providers, health brands, charities, and educators - 96% of whom said they had experienced restrictions in some form.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Consulting a tax professional experienced with Americans living overseas about your personal circumstances is advised.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Beginning in 2016, the region experienced substantial losses in sea ice coverage, marking a striking reversal from the preceding decades.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
France's points-based assignment system gives more experienced teachers greater choice over where they work, leaving "less experienced" educators more likely to be posted to "the most challenging roles", he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
It wasn’t a feeling I had experienced that much before, and I liked it.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
"I thought I would live to old age without experiencing anything like this, but then it happened. It's a terrible tragedy".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Back in my apartment, Bolo and Sergey were experiencing their fair share of edge cases.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond also emphasized the need for more progress, while calling attention to notable gains by African American students, Latino students, students from low-income families and students experiencing homelessness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and to everyone affected by this violence. No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing."
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
There are my brothers and me, living on opposite sides of a triangle, experiencing the same things but never together.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
