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
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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
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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:
The destitution they are now facing in Ceuta is a new experience for them, but they say the hardship is worth it for the chance at entering Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The professional ballroom dancer revealed her pregnancy Monday on “Good Morning America,” stating that although she’s excited for the experience, it is also “daunting.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Flores describes “Ritchie Forever” as a “multimedia experience, going back in time with sound and immersing in the history.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
She also called for any of her followers with experience with bipolar to share their advice, and thanked them for their support.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Framing the existing situation, e.g., if a medium or psychic says something is moving, people expect, and are more likely to experience, motion.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Enlli now experiences hot flushes, brain fog, joint and muscle pain and fatigue, and says it can be hard to identify which are from the menopause or effects of the chemotherapy.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“I just went through the Rolodex of my experiences trying to find the situations that can create that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Difficult experiences early in life, including criticism, neglect, or severe reactions from caregivers, can influence emotional well-being and quality of life years later.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
"What I have just worked on is to use that as motivation for this year and to come back stronger. And to use all of those experiences in a positive way."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The defence have said Clancy experienced hallucinations and delusions after giving birth to Callan and she was undergoing medical treatment for psychiatric problems.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Personally, Lynch loved modern architecture, and experienced love at first sight with the home he purchased in the mid-’80s in the Hollywood Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Intolerable heat will be experienced at much larger scales and for longer durations, affecting far more people than previously estimated," the study concluded.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
“That explains why stocks usually quickly recover any losses they might’ve experienced on the news,” Ro said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
We’re new to the babysitting business, and if experienced sitters have refused to work with these kids, that’s not a great sign.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
He said the families of those killed and injured will be experiencing "torment".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma,” the statement read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
McDonald’s and Wendy’s are redoubling their efforts and rethinking their promotional deals after experiencing disappointing results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
However, they see equities experiencing a relief rally about 30 days before the election, which can often reverse the previous period of volatility into the end of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
She said what I was experiencing were “night terrors,” and it did help me to talk about them with her.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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.
