What does “experience” mean?
- 1
nounknowledge or skill you get from doing something for a long time
Do you have any experience working with children?
- 2
nounsomething that happens to you and affects how you feel
Swimming with dolphins was an amazing experience.
- 3
verbto have something happen to you or feel something
Many people experience stress before exams.
Experience at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun & verb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /ɪkˈspɪriəns/ · ik-SPEER-ee-unce
How to use “experience” correctly
When it means skill or knowledge, it’s uncountable (“a lot of experience”). When it means an event, it’s countable (“many experiences”).
Common phrases with “experience”
- work experience
- from experience
- a great experience
- gain experience
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- experienced
- inexperienced
“experience” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- artist nounA2a person who paints, draws or makes other art
- bill nounA2a statement of how much you must pay for something
- board nounA2a flat piece of wood or other material used for a purpose
- capital nounA2the city where a country’s or state’s government is based
- character nounA2a person in a book, film or play
- coach nounA2a person who trains a sports team or helps someone improve a skill
- customer nounA2a person or business that buys things from a shop or company
- design nounA2the way something is planned and made, or a drawing that shows this