adventure

American  

[ad-ven-cher] / ædˈvɛn tʃər /

noun

1. an exciting or very unusual experience.

2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises.

   the spirit of adventure.

3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.

4. a commercial or financial speculation of any kind; venture.

5. Obsolete.

   1. peril; danger; risk.

   2. chance; fortune; luck.

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verb (used with object)

adventured, adventuring

1. to risk or hazard.

2. to take the chance of; dare.

3. to venture to say or utter.

   to adventure an opinion.

verb (used without object)

adventured, adventuring

1. to take the risk involved.

2. to venture; hazard.

adventure British  

/ ədˈvɛntʃə /

noun

1. a risky undertaking of unknown outcome

2. an exciting or unexpected event or course of events

3. a hazardous financial operation; commercial speculation

4. obsolete

   1. danger or misadventure

   2. chance

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verb

1. to take a risk or put at risk

2. to dare to go or enter (into a place, dangerous activity, etc)

3. to dare to say (something)

   he adventured his opinion

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unadventuring
  adjective
• adventureful
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of adventure

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English aventure, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Vulgar Latin adventūra (unrecorded) “what must happen,” feminine (originally neuter plural) of Latin adventūrus future participle of advenīre “to arrive”; ad- ad- replacing a- a- ⁵; see advent, -ure

Explanation

An adventure is an exciting and probably risky trip, effort, or undertaking. Let's go explore the jungle! Don't be scared — it'll be an adventure! To a kid from the city, a ride on the subway is just another trip across town. To a kid from the suburbs, though, it can be a real adventure — a trip to a strange place with all sorts of strange people, new sights, and surprising twists and turns. If you've ever been to the Great Adventure amusement park, you know that the whole place is designed to make you feel as though you're on a wild, exciting, and thrilling trip — a great adventure. People often go on an adventure hoping something wonderful will come of it.

Example Sentences

A month later, the Resolution and another ship, the Adventure, set sail under Cook’s command to the southern oceans in search of a hitherto unknown continent, fancifully known as Terra Australis Incognita.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

"We attempted multiple times to contact Himalayan Traverse Adventure for further information and co-ordination," Lakpa says.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure returns to 9 January 1978, the day Attenborough and the team arrived in the Virunga Mountains.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

The charge exasperated the fiery Glass: In his autobiography, “An Adventure in Constructive Finance,” he quotes himself reading back to his antagonists the monetary protections incorporated in the legislation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Ignoring that nonsense, Otto tried to determine which Awesome Adventure represented the best opportunity for another Key to the City.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

Related Words

• experience
• exploit
• feat
• scene
• trip