experience

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: expérience

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Middle English experience, from Old French, from Latin experientia (“a trial, proof, experiment, experimental knowledge, experience”), from experiens, present participle of experiri (“to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo”), from ex (“out”) + peritus (“experienced, expert”), past participle of *periri (“to go through”); see expert and peril. Displaced native Old English āfandung (“experience”) and āfandian (“to experience”).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

experience (countable and uncountable, plural experiences)

  1. The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.
    It was an experience he would not soon forget.
    • March 20, 1684-5, John Sharp, Sermon preached at Whitehall
      Those that undertook the religion of our Savior upon his preaching, had no experience of it.
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎[1]:
      “I have tried, as I hinted, to enlist the co-operation of other capitalists, but experience has taught me that any appeal is futile that does not impinge directly upon cupidity. […] ”
  2. (countable) An activity one has performed.
  3. (countable) A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.
    • 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “(please specify the book number)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
      they knew soone by experience how slenderly guarded against danger, the majestie of Rulers is
    • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 1:
      Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer in one word, from experience.
    • 2024, NTSB, Intersection Crash Between Passenger Car and Combination Vehicle, Tishomingo, Oklahoma, March 22, 2022:
      We determined that the car driver’s transportation of multiple teen passengers, limited driving experience, and likely impairment from effects of cannabis at the time of the crash adversely affected her judgment of the danger of entering the intersection in front of the approaching combination vehicle.
  4. (uncountable) The knowledge thus gathered.
    • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
      In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
  5. (obsolete, uncountable) Trial; a test or experiment.

Usage notes

[edit]
Collocations

Antonyms

[edit]

Hyponyms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

[edit]

experience (third-person singular simple present experiences, present participle experiencing, simple past and past participle experienced)

  1. (transitive) To observe certain events; undergo a certain feeling or process; or perform certain actions that may alter one or contribute to one's knowledge, opinions, or skills.

Synonyms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=experience&oldid=81383238"