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Definition of experience verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

experience

verb
 
/ɪkˈspɪəriəns/
 
/ɪkˈspɪriəns/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they experience
 
/ɪkˈspɪəriəns/
 
/ɪkˈspɪriəns/
he / she / it experiences
 
/ɪkˈspɪəriənsɪz/
 
/ɪkˈspɪriənsɪz/
past simple experienced
 
/ɪkˈspɪəriənst/
 
/ɪkˈspɪriənst/
past participle experienced
 
/ɪkˈspɪəriənst/
 
/ɪkˈspɪriənst/
-ing form experiencing
 
/ɪkˈspɪəriənsɪŋ/
 
/ɪkˈspɪriənsɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. experience something to have a particular situation affect you or happen to you
    • Many people have never experienced these difficulties first-hand.
    • We are currently experiencing problems with our IT systems.
    • They had the opportunity to experience life at sea.
    • Rapid growth has been experienced by over 50% of companies in the sector.
    Extra Examples
    • Everyone experiences these problems at some time in their lives.
    • The country experienced a foreign currency shortage for several months.
    • He hadn't directly experienced the fighting in the city.
    • I have personally experienced poverty and faced problems in pursuing higher studies.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • actually
    • directly
    • first-hand
    See full entry
  2. experience something to have and be aware of a particular emotion or physical feeling
    • I have never experienced such pain before.
    • I experienced feelings of sadness and loss.
    • I experienced a moment of panic as I boarded the plane.
    Extra Examples
    • Patients reported experiencing unpleasant symptoms such as nausea and headaches.
    • To watch him dance is to experience joy in one's physical existence.
  3. Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin experientia, from experiri ‘try’. Compare with experiment and expert.
See experience in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee experience in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
previously
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B1
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