experience
Americannoun
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experiences
plural
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a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something.
My encounter with the bear in the woods was a frightening experience.
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the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something.
business experience.
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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.
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Philosophy. the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood, and remembered.
verb (used with object)
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experiences,
present (3rd person singular)
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experienced,
past participle, past
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experiencing
present participle
idioms
noun
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direct personal participation or observation; actual knowledge or contact
experience of prison life
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a particular incident, feeling, etc, that a person has undergone
an experience to remember
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accumulated knowledge, esp of practical matters
a man of experience
-
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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
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philosophy
-
the content of a perception regarded as independent of whether the apparent object actually exists Compare sense datum
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the faculty by which a person acquires knowledge of contingent facts about the world, as contrasted with reason
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the totality of a person's perceptions, feelings, and memories
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verb
-
to participate in or undergo
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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
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preexperiencenoun
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reexperienceverb
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experienceableadjective
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experiencelessadjective
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postexperienceadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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experiencesimple
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experiencessimple
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have experiencedperfect
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has experiencedperfect
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am experiencingprogressive
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are experiencingprogressive
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is experiencingprogressive
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have been experiencingperfect progressive
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has been experiencingperfect progressive
Past
-
experiencedsimple
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had experiencedperfect
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was experiencingprogressive
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were experiencingprogressive
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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
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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Schooled
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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:
Consciousness, however, carries deeper implications about subjective experience and what it means to have an inner mental life.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Investors are growing more cautious about new AI data center developers that have little experience completing projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
To "really understand what's going on", Sands is calling for the data around neonatal and stillborn deaths to be considered alongside "patient and staff experience".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Together with Caruso, we are proud to help bring the Bay back to life as a place for the Pacific Palisades community to gather around the shared experience of cinema,” Ellison said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
They both knew how bad it was from personal experience.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
New research from Binghamton University suggests that these healthy routines are connected to a mental skill called psychological flexibility, which helps people adapt to challenges and recover from stressful experiences.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Xuan and Zhang’s desire to have a large family stemmed from their experiences in China, according to Krems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Jaz's experiences inspired her to set up her charity Better Maternity Wales.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
He told the BBC that, generally, veterans like himself only shared wartime experiences quietly amongst themselves.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The new instruments and the oceans of printed books opened up new experiences and destroyed old authorities.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Patients receiving Zanvastro generally experienced stabilization of their motor function, and some showed improvements in their ability to move.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Chelsea midfielder provided cover for the experienced Stanway and Keira Walsh to push higher up, while Lauren James played in the number 10 role.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Following each meal, my entire family experienced acute onsets with violent vomiting, watery diarrhea, and profound weakness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Vatican also released a statement saying the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung was removed, but that he experienced no complications from the procedure and returned to his room.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
At the age of thirty-three, Valentin was already an experienced combat pilot and commander.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
City Hall, Raman said, is now experiencing “a crisis of trust.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
New State is far from alone in experiencing partner departures and economic pressures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Palm Springs Art Museum executive director and chief curator Christine Vendredi said experiencing the work in person offers something its documentation cannot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
She said the healthcare system is already experiencing the impacts of an ageing society but there will also be implications for housing, public transport and workplaces.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Of learning that she’s kept him from experiencing something, even if it is a tornado drill, just because she doesn’t believe in him.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Definitions 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.
