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.
-
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
-
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:
When “Transamerica” premiered, the average American didn’t spend much time thinking about bathroom gender markers, much less trying to understand the intricacies of the trans experience.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
“We work to make ads relevant and useful to people on Pinterest, and we regularly refine that experience based on feedback.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The experience inspired him to learn other healing modalities, including breath work and sound meditation: the latter of which reignited his musical appreciation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Writing from Bree’s perspective, Parton beautifully captures the isolation that is so often part of the trans experience.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Afterward, one is expected to complain that the sauna was too cold, the ice bath too warm, and the venik too soft, but this show of pluck is simply part of the experience.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Here, Bree experiences heartbreak, isolation, bewilderment, unconditional affection, joy, anger, frustration, regret and contentment.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Neala says the support took account of her autism, which she says had contributed to difficult experiences in previous job interviews.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“It’s no longer about sightseeing or checking destinations off a list. It is about preserving meaningful experiences with family and friends while minimizing stress.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
I learn about what music they’re listening to, what their experiences have been, what their take on things is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Abel gave lectures at schools, recounting his experiences in America and encouraging bright young men and women to consider a life of espionage.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Overall, the late August bank holiday weekend looks set to be cooler, windier and wetter than the hot and dry conditions we've experienced for much of this record-breaking summer.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
You have experienced some sharp practice, and you need a blunt approach.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
"It was buried so deeply in my subconscious... Everything that happened to people is beyond imagination if you haven't experienced it yourself," she added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Patients on Medicaid were more likely to experienced prolonged wait times than the privately insured for five cancers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
When at last he came out of the water and touched the shore he had been yearning toward for the whole round of a passing year, he experienced a burst of astounding joy.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Even after experiencing stress both early in development and again as adults, mice with reduced SETD7 activity behaved much like unstressed animals.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, normally mild and wet countries such as Belgium and Scotland, also found themselves battling flames, with the former experiencing its largest wildfire in a century.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
He’s working from a relatively clean slate, and experiencing all of the privileges and drawbacks that come with it.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
The defence, which rested its case on Friday, does not dispute that Clancy carried out the killings but say she has pleaded not guilty to murder charges because she was experiencing postpartum psychosis.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Not exactly, but I have learned about this emotion from you. And from my observations, I am drawing the conclusion that you are experiencing anger.”
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
