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experience

n. · v.
US //ɪkˈspɪɹiəns// UK //ɛkspˈiəɹɪəns// ex·pe·ri·ence
  1. 1 knowledge and skills (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the knowledge or skill you get from doing a job or activity for a long time.

    the accumulated knowledge or skill resulting from direct participation in events or activities. Uncountable in this sense.

    Example

    The company is looking for a manager with at least five years of experience in sales.

    Example

    The candidate possesses extensive experience in international law, having spent over a decade navigating complex cross-border disputes for various non-governmental organisations.
    Pitfall
    I have many experiences in marketing.
    I have a lot of experience in marketing.

    When talking about professional skills or time spent in a field, 'experience' is uncountable and should not be plural.

  2. 2 a specific event (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    something that happens to you, or an activity you have done.

    a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something. Countable in this sense.

    Example

    Traveling alone through Europe was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.

    Example

    Living abroad for a year was a transformative experience that fundamentally altered her perspective on global politics and social responsibility.
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  1. 3 to feel or undergo (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to have something happen to you, or to feel a specific emotion.

    to undergo, feel, or be the subject of a particular event or emotion. Transitive — takes a direct object.

    Example

    Many people experience a bit of stress when they start a new job.

    Example

    Patients may experience mild side effects, such as dizziness or fatigue, during the first few days of the new medication cycle.
  2. 4 gaming points (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Computing

    points that a character earns in a game to become stronger.

    a measure of a character's progress in a role-playing game, often abbreviated as XP.

    Example

    You need to defeat more monsters to gain enough experience to reach the next level.

    Example

    The player spent hours grinding in the lower dungeons to accumulate the experience necessary to unlock the advanced skill tree.
    • experience points
    • XP
Origin

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”).

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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