adventure

1 of 2

noun

ad·​ven·​ture əd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce adventure (audio)
1
a
: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks
a book recounting his many bold adventures
b
: the encountering of risks
the spirit of adventure
2
: an exciting or remarkable experience
an adventure in exotic dining
They were looking for adventure.
3
: an enterprise involving financial risk
wanted to pay off her debts before embarking on any new financial adventures

adventure

2 of 2

verb

adventured; adventuring əd-ˈven-ch(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce adventure (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to expose to danger or loss : venture
… those who adventured their persons and lives risked all they had for a slender reward.Joseph Conrad
2
: to venture upon (see venture entry 1 sense 2) : try
… the task was always one of great difficulty and art—so much so, that it could seldom be adventured in rough or windy weather.Edward Bulwer-Lytton

intransitive verb

1
: to proceed despite risk
… people going away to adventure upon the sea …Virginia Woolf
2
: to take the risk
… I would adventure for such merchandiseWilliam Shakespeare

Examples of adventure in a Sentence

Noun The field trip was an adventure for the students. He told us about his camping adventures. They were looking for adventure. Verb adventured all his savings in a very risky investment scheme if I had to adventure a guess, I'd say she's about 35
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But there was a more important underlying set of drivers at work, from curiosity to a sense of adventure. Ulrik Juul Christensen, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Graham Averill is Outside magazine’s national parks columnist, but some of his favorite adventures have happened inside state parks. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
An adventuring couple discovered a decomposing body Wednesday, and Couch's identity was confirmed Friday. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 21 Sep. 2024 Doyle Campground Guided fishing: Bighorn River Outfitters Wyoming is the last bastion of the West, where bold, independent and curious spirits are encouraged to forge their own way to adventure both big and small. Outside Online, 5 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for adventure 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adventure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English aventure, adventure (with -d- restored from Latin) "fortune, chance, occurrence, risk, enterprise, wonder," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Vulgar Latin *adventūra "what will happen," going back to Latin, feminine singular (originally neuter plural) of adventūrus, future participle of advenīre "to arrive at, reach, arise, develop" — more at advent

Verb

alteration (with -d- restored from Latin) of Middle English aventuren, auntren "to happen, expose to risk, take a chance," borrowed from Anglo-French aventurer, verb derivative of aventure "chance, occurrence, risk" — more at adventure entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1529, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of adventure was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near adventure

Cite this Entry

“Adventure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adventure. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

adventure

1 of 2 noun
ad·​ven·​ture əd-ˈven-chər How to pronounce adventure (audio)
1
: an action involving unknown risks or dangers
2
: the encountering of risks
the spirit of adventure
3
: an unusual or exciting experience
the field trip was an adventure

adventure

2 of 2 verb
adventured; adventuring
-ˈvench-(ə-)riŋ
1
2
: to venture upon
explorers adventuring the wilderness

More from Merriam-Webster on adventure

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