/ ɪkˈspɪəriəns; NAmE -ˈspɪr-/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U ] the knowledge and skill that you have gained through doing sth for a period of time; the process of gaining this :
to have over ten years' teaching experience
Do you have any previous experience of this type of work?
a doctor with experience in dealing with patients suffering from stress
My lack of practical experience was a disadvantage.
She didn't get paid much but it was all good experience .
He gained valuable experience whilst working on the project.
We all learn by experience .
—see also work experience
2.
[ U ] the things that have happened to you that influence the way you think and behave :
Experience has taught me that life can be very unfair.
It is important to try and learn from experience .
In my experience , very few people really understand the problem.
She knew from past experience that Ann would not give up easily.
The book is based on personal experience .
direct / first-hand experience of poverty
3.
[ C ] experience (of sth) an event or activity that affects you in some way :
an enjoyable / exciting / unusual / unforgettable, etc. experience
It was her first experience of living alone.
Living in Africa was very different from home and quite an experience (= unusual for us) .
I had a bad experience with fireworks once.
He seems to have had some sort of religious experience.
4.
the ... experience [ sing. ] events or knowledge shared by all the members of a particular group in society, that influences the way they think and behave :
musical forms like jazz that emerged out of the Black American experience
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IDIOMS
- put sth down to experience
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to have a particular situation affect you or happen to you :
The country experienced a foreign currency shortage for several months.
Everyone experiences these problems at some time in their lives.
2.
to have and be aware of a particular emotion or physical feeling :
to experience pain / pleasure / unhappiness
I experienced a moment of panic as I boarded the plane.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : via Old French from Latin experientia , from experiri try. Compare with experiment and expert .