ex·pe·ri·ence
ik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s 
1
a
: direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge
Charlotte was naturally patient. She knew from experience that if she waited long enough, a fly would come to her web …—
E. B. White
E. B. White
b
: the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation
In my experience, those dedicated to practical change over the long term are often the least involved in the dramas of rage …—Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit2
a
: practical knowledge, skill, or practice gained from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity
has firsthand experience solving these kinds of problems
b
: the length of such participation
has 10 years' experience in the job
3
: something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through
wrote about their experiences as a pilot
4
a
: the conscious events that make up an individual life
… the things that make twins different from each other, such as life experience.—Emil F. Coccaro
Emil F. Coccaro… the historical strength of family and community, kinship and neighbors within the black experience.—Manning Marable
Manning Marable
b
: the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally
… a teacher resource manual pertaining to the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry …—The Japanese American Citizens League
The Japanese American Citizens League5
: the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality
Experience is a matter of the interaction of organism with its environment …—John Dewey
John Dewey
experienced; experiencing
1
: to have experience of : undergo
experienced severe hardships as a child
2
: to learn by experience (see experience entry 1)
I have experienced that a landscape and the sky unfold the deepest beauty …—Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel HawthorneExamples of experience in a Sentence
Noun
Human experience is the ultimate source and justification for all knowledge. Experience itself has accumulated in human memory and culture, gradually producing the methods of intelligence called "reason" and "science."
—John Shook, Free Inquiry, April/May 2008
Almost as charismatic as the ivory-bill, the California condor passed through a near-death experience and is today regaining a tentative foothold in parts of its erstwhile range.
—John Terborgh, New York Review of Books, 26 Apr. 2007
Many of his students have plenty of life experience but … never mastered the academic stuff at school.
—Daryl Crimp, New Zealand Geographic, March/April 2007
In the energetic, speculative, socially mobile urban society of the early 18th century, maternal impression, the idea that a child's appearance was directed by the mother's experiences, found advocates among London physicians as easily as it did among myth-fed country fold.
—Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review, 17 June 2007
Literary London was not merely a great gathering of experiences for [Samuel] Johnson, but a veritable public stew of good words.
—Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review, 27 Apr. 2006
The best way to learn is by experience.
We need someone with experience.
She gained a lot of experience at that job.
I know that from personal experience.
She has five years' experience as a computer programmer.
He wrote about his experiences as a pilot.
That experience is one I'd rather forget!
She had a frightening experience.
Verb
Performing a risk-reward analysis can often clarify decisions. If the risk of a failed marriage is that you may have to experience heartache and an expensive divorce, you'd better think carefully. If the risk of a bad ski run is that you'll die, you'd better think even more carefully about what you'll gain by taking that risk.
—Laurence Gonzales, National Geographic Adventure, March 2008
Of course, many reporters do their best to be accurate, but they must conform to the conventions of their craft, and there is always slippage between their choice of words and the nature of an event as experienced or perceived by others.
—Robert Darnton, New York Review of Books, 12 June 2008
I spent 20-some years as a foreign correspondent and experienced my share of harrowing travel. … And unlike the brave foreign correspondents that you see on TV or read about … , I was scared silly.
—P. J. O'Rourke, Forbes Life, June 2008
That was one of the worst days I've ever experienced.
The patient has been experiencing pain in her left shoulder.
John Shook, Free Inquiry, April/May 2008
Almost as charismatic as the ivory-bill, the California condor passed through a near-death experience and is today regaining a tentative foothold in parts of its erstwhile range.
—John Terborgh, New York Review of Books, 26 Apr. 2007
Many of his students have plenty of life experience but … never mastered the academic stuff at school.
—Daryl Crimp, New Zealand Geographic, March/April 2007
In the energetic, speculative, socially mobile urban society of the early 18th century, maternal impression, the idea that a child's appearance was directed by the mother's experiences, found advocates among London physicians as easily as it did among myth-fed country fold.
—Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review, 17 June 2007
Literary London was not merely a great gathering of experiences for [Samuel] Johnson, but a veritable public stew of good words.
—Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review, 27 Apr. 2006
The best way to learn is by experience.
We need someone with experience.
She gained a lot of experience at that job.
I know that from personal experience.
She has five years' experience as a computer programmer.
He wrote about his experiences as a pilot.
That experience is one I'd rather forget!
She had a frightening experience.
Verb
Performing a risk-reward analysis can often clarify decisions. If the risk of a failed marriage is that you may have to experience heartache and an expensive divorce, you'd better think carefully. If the risk of a bad ski run is that you'll die, you'd better think even more carefully about what you'll gain by taking that risk.
—Laurence Gonzales, National Geographic Adventure, March 2008
Of course, many reporters do their best to be accurate, but they must conform to the conventions of their craft, and there is always slippage between their choice of words and the nature of an event as experienced or perceived by others.
—Robert Darnton, New York Review of Books, 12 June 2008
I spent 20-some years as a foreign correspondent and experienced my share of harrowing travel. … And unlike the brave foreign correspondents that you see on TV or read about … , I was scared silly.
—P. J. O'Rourke, Forbes Life, June 2008
That was one of the worst days I've ever experienced.
The patient has been experiencing pain in her left shoulder.
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
And my experience in nearly three years at the Fed is that everybody sitting around the table takes the job extremely seriously.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The organization reports that the anime business has experienced steady growth every year since 2009 — and even expanded consistently through the pandemic.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for experience
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Not remembering was part of that experience.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
And my experience in nearly three years at the Fed is that everybody sitting around the table takes the job extremely seriously.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
This month, young readers can curl up with nonfiction explorations of the galaxy, thumb through an old astronomy textbook with a fresh new story to tell, or experience the peace of being (almost) alone on the moon.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The organization reports that the anime business has experienced steady growth every year since 2009 — and even expanded consistently through the pandemic.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for experience
Cite this Entry
“Experience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experience. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
experience
1 of 2 noun
ex·pe·ri·ence
ik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s
1
: the actual living through an event or series of events
learn by experience
2
a
: skill or knowledge gained by actually doing or feeling a thing
a job that requires someone with experience
had gained a lot of experience by the end of the season
b
: the amount of such skill or knowledge
has five years' experience
3
: something one has actually done or lived through
my experiences as a riverboat pilot
experience
2 of 2 verb
experienced; experiencing
: to have experience of : undergo
experienced many hardships as a child
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