experience

[ ik-speer-ee-uhns ]

/ ɪkˈspɪər i əns /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: experience / experienced / experiences / experiencing on Thesaurus.com

noun

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), ex·pe·ri·enced, ex·pe·ri·enc·ing.

to have experience of; meet with; undergo; feel: to experience nausea.

to learn by experience.

OTHER WORDS FOR experience

6 bear, brook, endure, suffer.

See synonyms for experience on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about experience

experience religion, to undergo a spiritual conversion by which one gains or regains faith in God.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM experience

ex·pe·ri·ence·a·ble, adjectiveex·pe·ri·ence·less, adjectivepost·ex·pe·ri·ence, adjectivepre·ex·pe·ri·ence, noun, verb (used with object), pre·ex·pe·ri·enced, pre·ex·pe·ri·enc·ing.

re·ex·pe·ri·ence, verb, re·ex·pe·ri·enced, re·ex·pe·ri·enc·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use experience in a sentence

The 22-year-old also has both basketball and life experience beyond many NBA rookies.
Wizards’ plan for John Wall involves fewer minutes, more run for Ish Smith, Cassius Winston|Ava Wallace|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Despite that inconsistency, Winston has something that Hill lacks, namely five seasons’ worth of NFL starting experience.
Taysom Hill, not Jameis Winston, reportedly will replace Drew Brees for the Saints|Matt Bonesteel|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Virginia, which has been running its Covidwise app since August, has the most experience.
A covid-fighting tool is buried in your phone. Turn it on.|Geoffrey Fowler|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
It’s a Souls experience like we’ve never felt, heard or seen.
‘Demon’s Souls’ review: The ideal PlayStation 5 launch game|Gene Park|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

The small outpost of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, with just two floors and a handful of galleries, is currently showing several immersive installations that engage physical space in a way a digital experience cannot.
You have until Nov. 22 to visit these six Smithsonian museums. Here’s what to expect.|Kelsey Ables|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
There have been previous waves of people moving to Texas, and we are now experiencing the latest wave.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just two young kids experiencing the panic, pain, and then the miracle, of new birth.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.|Gene Robinson|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The discrimination and slights Abe experiences are “part and parcel of what we are experiencing in the world,” says Akhtar.
Religion, Race, and a Broadway Hit: The Making of ‘Disgraced’|Tim Teeman|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, if someone is experiencing unremitting pain, he said, then death should not be considered harm.
U.K. Courts Grant Mother Right to End Her 12-Year-Old Disabled Daughter’s Life|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The people were in one way or another enjoying or experiencing the festival day.
Joseph Campbell on the Roots of Halloween|Joseph Campbell|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was experiencing how very convenient life is when one has sufficient means to satisfy one's needs.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
She has since been repeatedly employed as a nurse to Small-pox patients, without experiencing any ill consequences.
An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae|Edward Jenner
"He wasn't anything to show," said Betty, experiencing again the feeling of distaste she had had for the man.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope
She is not capable of experiencing common affection for any one; every feeling of her nature is merged in self-interest.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Such an incident as this has a charm for utter solitude, of which you can form no idea without experiencing it.
My Ten Years' Imprisonment|Silvio Pellico

British Dictionary definitions for experience

experience

/ (ɪkˈspɪərɪəns) /

noun

direct personal participation or observation; actual knowledge or contactexperience of prison life

a particular incident, feeling, etc, that a person has undergonean experience to remember

accumulated knowledge, esp of practical mattersa 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, etcthe American experience

philosophy

the content of a perception regarded as independent of whether the apparent object actually existsCompare 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 (tr)

to participate in or undergo

to be emotionally or aesthetically moved by; feelto experience beauty

Derived forms of experience

experienceable, adjective

Word Origin for experience

C14: from Latin experientia, from experīrī to prove; related to Latin perīculum peril

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

experience

OTHER WORDS FOR experience

Idioms about experience

Origin of experience

OTHER WORDS FROM experience

Words related to experience

How to use experience in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for experience

Derived forms of experience

Word Origin for experience