adventure

1 of 2

noun

ad·​ven·​ture əd-ˈven-chər 

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 

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 merchandise

—William Shakespeare

Synonyms

Noun

• experience
• time

Verb

• endanger
• risk
• threaten
• venture
• menace

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

The show followed the adventures of passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship Pacific Princess (a real Princess Cruises ship at the time of The Love Boat's airing), with each episode featuring guest stars playing passengers with their own unique storylines. —Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025

Today, Leadville blends its rugged past with a love of the outdoors and small-town vibes with big-mountain adventure. —Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025

Verb

Vertical debuts adventure drama Last Days by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious franchise, Tokyo Drift), in a return to his indie roots, on 312 screens. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025

Historically, Imax has been associated with comic book adventures that appeal to fanboys and fangirls. —Brent Lang, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing adventure

• adventure playground

Rhymes for adventure

• debenture
• indenture
• bencher
• denture
• quencher
• trencher
• venture
• misadventure
• peradventure

Kids Definition

adventure

1 of 2 noun

ad·​ven·​ture əd-ˈven-chər 

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

: risk entry 2 sense 1, venture

2

: to venture upon

explorers adventuring the wilderness