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
-
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
-
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
-
-
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:
It’s genuinely connecting to the audience, being in that space, and playing to the moment, telling your story as if you’ve never said it before, and allowing people to really experience the best of you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“My experience across criminal, juvenile, civil, administrative and government law has uniquely prepared me to serve wherever the court needs me,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
I talk about my life story, and my point of view is I show up, and when I leave the stage, did I make the world a better place with this experience?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
This experience gives him “valuable insight” to understand student needs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
For the first time in five years, though, there’s something off about my Choi experience.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Last year, Capt Machchhar spoke about how he started flying and his experiences as a pilot on a podcast called Bona-Fide Banter.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
“It will reward your curiosity,” says Amado Trevino, director of interactive media and experiences for Legendary Entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
A central part of its work has been to gather testimony from Sami people about their experiences, collating some 300 interviews and written accounts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Researchers at the Mood Disorders Institute at Binghamton University study how depression develops in children and adolescents, with particular attention to how family history and emotional experiences may influence vulnerability over time.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 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
Campaigning, Reitano said, has shown her that constituents, no matter how different, uniformly want “a judge who is experienced, prepared, fair and willing to listen.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It left him in a dark place, as he previously detailed in an interview with BBC Sport, but the "wounds" he experienced in life have shaped him.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Instead, King wanted to know how the more experienced climber of the group, Conrad Anker, developed the discipline to call off a failed attempt just 300 feet below the summit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
However, the participants taking EloraTZP also experienced more frequent gastrointestinal adverse events, and they discontinued treatment at a far higher rate than people solely taking eloralintide or Zepbound.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
She said that, after living in Maryland for more than forty years, she’d never experienced a tornado.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Public health officials say Los Angeles County is experiencing an alarming influx of rabid bats — matching the highest number ever recorded before peak season is even over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Meteorologists also issued Polo-related warnings of heavy rain and flooding in parts of 10 US states including Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, some of which are experiencing drought.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Heavy rainfall and dangerous coastal flooding have hit parts of north-eastern US, with more than 160,000 households experiencing power cuts.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
“Today,” Robin continued, “the church in France is experiencing something very unique: It is transitioning from a Christianity that was once inherited to a Christianity that is chosen.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
“This is the chart of physical pain. I want you to tell me, right now, from a scale of zero to ten, are you experiencing any physical pain?”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
