experience

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities

   The experience I gained in six months on the job eclipsed what I had learned in school.

2. 2
   noun

   the content of direct observation or participation in an event

   The tax collector had a religious experience.

3. 3
   noun

   an event as apprehended

   a surprising experience

4. 4
   noun

   The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.

   It was an experience he would not soon forget.

5. 5
   noun

   A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.

   Virtually all employers now require jobseekers to have work experience even for entry-level roles. Many believe this will hurt companies in the long run.

6. 6
   noun

   The knowledge thus gathered.

   In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

7. 7
   noun

   A business offering in which a major focus is the way that the customer interacts with the business throughout the transaction, as opposed to only its outcome (the product or service).

   CDNOW's custom music selection and Levi Strauss & Co.'s custom-fit jean service are also good examples of giving customers more than just the product, but an experience as well.

8. 8
   noun

   Synonym of experience points

   As your troops conquer the enemy, they'll earn experience and gain levels. Each time they level up, their stats will increase.

Etymology

From Middle English experience, from Old French, from Latin experientia (“a trial, proof, experiment, experimental knowledge, experience”), from experiens, present participle of experiri (“to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo”), from ex (“out”) + peritus (“experienced, expert”), past participle of *periri (“to go through”); see expert and peril. Displaced native Old English āfandung (“experience”) and āfandian (“to experience”).