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adventure

n. · v.
US //ædˈvɛntʃɝ// UK //ɐdvˈɛntʃɐ// ad·ven·ture
  1. 1 an exciting experience (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    an exciting, unusual, and sometimes dangerous experience or journey.

    A daring or remarkable undertaking, typically involving risks and unforeseen events.

    Example

    The children went on an adventure in the woods behind their house.

    Example

    Their trek across the Andes was a true adventure, fraught with unpredictable weather and logistical challenges that tested their resolve.
  2. 2 desire for excitement (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the feeling of excitement and the desire to do new things.

    The abstract quality or spirit of seeking out new and exciting experiences.

    Example

    She was young and full of a sense of adventure.

    Example

    The marketing campaign appealed to the consumer's sense of adventure, promising that the rugged vehicle could conquer any terrain.
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  1. 3 video game genre (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    a type of video game where the player follows a story and solves puzzles.

    A genre of video games characterized by narrative exploration and puzzle-solving rather than reflex-based challenges.

    Example

    He spent the whole weekend playing a new graphic adventure on his computer.

    Example

    Early text-based adventures relied heavily on the player's imagination to visualize the environments described on the screen.
    • quest game
  2. 4 to go somewhere risky (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to go somewhere that might be dangerous or to try something risky.

    To dare to go into a potentially dangerous place or to undertake a risky task; often used intransitively.

    Example

    Few people would adventure into the deep cave without a guide.

    Example

    The explorers decided to adventure further into the uncharted jungle, despite warnings from the local guides about the approaching monsoon.

    Usage

    Often followed by a preposition like 'into' or 'out'.
  3. 5 to suggest an idea (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to say something even though you are not sure if it is right or if people will like it.

    To dare to utter or express a thought, opinion, or suggestion, typically when one is uncertain of its reception.

    Example

    I would like to adventure a guess about why the machine stopped working.

    Example

    The junior analyst dared to adventure a different interpretation of the data, contradicting the senior partner's long-held assumptions.
Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Vulgar Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥yéti Proto-Italic *gʷənjō Vulgar Latin veniō Vulgar Latin adveniō Vulgar Latin adventūrus Vulgar Latin *adventūra Old French aventurebor. Middle English aventure English adventure From Middle English aventure, aunter, anter, from Old French aventure, from Vulgar Latin *adventūra, from Latin adventūrus (“about to arrive, (Vulgar Latin) about to happen”), future active participle of adveniō (“to arrive”), which in the Romance languages took the sense of "to happen, befall" (see also advene). By surface analysis, advent + -ure. Compare Scots adventur, Swedish äventyr, German Abenteuer.

Etymology 2

From Middle English aventuren, auntren, from Old French aventurer, from aventure.

Word family

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