From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexperienceex‧pe‧ri‧ence1 /ɪkˈspɪəriəns $ -ˈspɪr-/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 knowledge/skill [uncountable]EXPERIENCE knowledge or skill that you gain from doing a job or activity, or the process of doing thisexperience of/in/with You’ve got a lot of experience of lecturing. my experience in many areas of the music business He had no previous experience of managing a farm. The advice in the booklet reflects the practical experience we have gained (=experience gained by actually doing something, rather than knowledge from books etc). I had some experience in fashion design. She was turned down on the grounds of lack of experience. I have first-hand experience (=experience gained by doing something myself) of running a school.gain/get experience The programme enables pupils to gain some experience of the world of work.2 knowledge of life [uncountable]EXPERIENCED knowledge that you gain about life and the world by being in different situations and meeting different people, or the process of gaining thisin somebody’s experience In his experience, women did not like getting their feet wet and muddy.know/learn/speak from experience Being a parent isn’t easy, as I know from experience. All animals appear to have some capacity to learn from experience. I speak from bitter experience (=having learnt something because something unpleasant happened).personal/previous/past experience From personal experience, she knew and understood the problems of alcohol addiction.experience shows/suggests that Beth’s experience suggests that people don’t really change deep down.3 something that happens [countable]EXPERIENCE something that happens to you or something you do, especially when this has an effect on what you feel or think childhood experiencesexperience of/with This was my first experience of living with other people.experience for Failing an exam was a new experience for me. I had a similar experience last year. The two children in this story have been through a lot of bad experiences. Parachuting is quite an experience.memorable/unforgettable experience This romantic evening cruise is a memorable experience.religious experience (=a situation in which you feel, hear, or see something that affects you strongly and makes you believe in God) This kind of religious experience was a sign of God’s special favour.4 → the black/female/Russian etc experience5 → work experienceCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: knowledge or skill that you gain from doing a job or activity, or the process of doing thisverbshave experienceApplicants must have experience of working with children.get/gain experienceHe suggested that I should gain some experience in a related industry like travel.lack experience (=not have enough experience)Some students lack experience writing essays.broaden/widen your experience (=increase the amount of different experience you have)After six years with the bank, he went to work in New York to broaden his experience.adjectivesconsiderable experience (=a lot of experience)Margaret has considerable experience of hospital work.long experience (=experience gained over a long period of time)New prison officers are partnered by officers with long experience of dealing with violent prisoners.useful/valuable experience (=useful experience)That summer he got some valuable experience working in a tax office.invaluable experience (=extremely useful experience)Playing in the under-21 squad gives these young players invaluable experience.relevant experience (=experience that directly relates to a job, subject, or problem)Applicants need a degree and two years of relevant experience.past/previous experienceHis only previous experience of broadcasting consisted of a job hosting a local radio station.practical experience (=experience gained from doing something, not from books or study)The classes provide students with some practical experience of computers.first-hand experience (=experience gained by doing something yourself)She has no first-hand experience of running a school.phrasesa wealth of experience (=a lot of useful experience)Between them, the management team have a wealth of experience.lack of experienceMy colleagues kept making comments about about my lack of experience. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: knowledge that you gain about life and the world by being in different situations and meeting different people, or the process of gaining thisadjectivespersonal experienceHe spoke from personal experience about the harmful effects of taking drugs.life experience (=experience that comes from life)As an older parent, your life experience is one of your greatest assets.first-hand experience (=experience gained from doing something yourself)As a journalist living in Iraq, he had first-hand experience of coping with terror on his doorstep.bitter experience (=experience that makes you feel disappointed or upset)I knew from bitter experience how unreliable she could be.everyday experience (=experience of normal life)Hunger is part of everyday experience for these children.verbsknow/learn from experienceJanet knew from experience that love doesn't always last.speak from experienceThe miners spoke from experience about the dangers of their work.lack experienceMany men in their twenties lack experience and social skills.experience suggests/shows somethingExperience suggests that children who commit crimes will continue to offend as adults.phraseslack of experienceHe was embarrassed about his lack of experience with women. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: something that happens to you or something you do, especially when this has an effect on what you feel or thinkADJECTIVES/NOUN + experiencea good/bad experience On the whole, going to boarding school was a good experience for him.I've had some bad experiences when I've been travelling on my own.positive/negativeThe entire experience has been very positive.Many people reported having negative experiences when dealing with their local council. enjoyable/pleasantWe want to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.She recalled pleasant experiences from her past.memorable/unforgettable (=a good experience that you will remember for a long time)Meeting the queen was a memorable experience.painful (=one that is very upsetting)Her family supported her through the painful experience.traumatic/harrowing (=one that is shocking and upsetting, and affects you for a long time)Having an operation can be a traumatic experience for a child.newThe club scene was a whole new experience for me.a formative experience (=one that has an important influence on the way someone develops)The trip was probably the most formative experience of my life.childhood experiencesOur childhood experiences make us what we are as adults.a religious experience (=one that makes someone believe strongly in God)As a young man he had a profound religious experience.an everyday/commonplace experience (=one that is typical of normal life)The sound of gunfire is an everyday experience in the city.
Examples from the Corpus
experience• Simulators are very realistic, but they don't compare to the actual experience of flying an airplane.• I get to develop the character and have different experiences.• Living alone has been a good experience for her.• After she retired, Hannah wrote a book about her experiences as a war reporter.• On the contrary, he is still campaigning on his resume and the argument that his experience is what his party needs.• She's very bright and ambitious but she doesn't have much experience.• He has had no experience of democracy.• I have a little bit of experience working in a hotel.• She has plenty of experience of dealing with difficult situations.• The regulation will be through training and a points system, based on experience gained in mediation.• Send tips or experiences about working on houses, to Home Work, .• Have you had any previous experience as a construction worker?• The job requires five years' secretarial experience.• Fourth, it can aid the process of life review, and fifth, it is an enjoyable and stimulating experience.• The job requires two years of teaching experience.• Tonight on Channel 4, young people will be discussing their experiences of racism.• I'm glad I had this experience but I wouldn't want to do it again.• Fran is gaining valuable experience working for her father's firm.• Meanwhile, each leads us to expect the arms race which experience confirms.• One career academy that had fewer problems arranging work experiences for students was the Health Academy.experience of/in/with• Applicants must be qualified and experienced in accountancy and office administration.• To this end, he devised his Spiritual Exercises as a manual to cultivate the disciplined experience of both heaven and hell.• Millions of people across the world have first-hand experience of what it can do.• As had been his experience in the yard, it was as if all this were new to him.• In general, a large proportion of bile duct injuries can be attributed to the learning experience of the surgeon.• That he succeeds in having it both ways is our experience of reading his novel in its dominant and thriller aspect.• I think of my own experience in Seattle last year during the World Trade Organisation meetings.• We can relate specific adult political attitudes and behavioral propensities to the manifest and latent political socialization experiences of childhood.know/learn/speak from experience• The computer actually learns from experience and can change its game strategy.• They had done so by learning from experience, by solving problems, from social situations.• I knew from experience that objective performance data would be needed in overcoming that prior conditioning.• I speak from experience, as my wife and I had to turn back and miss the December 1990 meeting.• However, learning to cope is only a fraction of what is involved in learning from experience.• I can not speak from experience but the same can probably be said about most instruments if used properly.• Being poor, she knew from experience, did not necessarily mean being without taste.• The new managers knew that their key to success was learning how to learn from experience.childhood experiences• The adverse childhood experiences therefore seemed to act in two ways.• Therapists vary in the importance they attach to background and childhood experiences of the parents.• They argue that these men have suffered bad childhood experiences which have prevented their normal development.• Just how much is due to inherited characteristics, and how much to other biological factors or early childhood experiences is still uncertain.• Our childhood experiences are very important.• What are the parents' childhood experiences?• When remembering childhood experiences, who recalls third-grade reading, after all?• In fact Charles's childhood experiences confirmed him in his decision not to employ a nanny for his own children.experienceexperience2 ●●○ S3 W2 verb [transitive] 1 EXPERIENCEDif you experience a problem, event, or situation, it happens to you or affects youexperience problems/difficulties Many old people will experience problems as the result of retirement. Children need to experience things for themselves in order to learn from them.2 FEEL HAPPY/FRIGHTENED/BORED ETCFEEL HOT/COLD/TIRED ETCto feel a particular emotion, pain etc Many women experience feelings of nausea during pregnancy.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
experience• Employees at the plant are experiencing a-change overload. --- Changes came too fast and hit thern all at once.• When she was younger, my mother experienced a depression so severe she had to be hospitalized.• When you first tried a cigarette, you probably experienced a feeling of dizziness.• I experienced a great sense of loss when my father died.• They've experienced a lot of problems with their eldest son.• Many regions are experiencing a shortage of food.• As it grew, the city experienced an increase in crime.• It is shocking to think of boys as young as sixteen experiencing at first hand the horrors of war.• Despite that, its challenges in overcoming prior managerial conditioning were like those experienced at Irving.• A debate would present a good opportunity to underline the fact that many countries are experiencing far more difficulties than we are.• Many local companies have recently been experiencing financial difficulties.• Many cancer patients experience nausea following chemotherapy.• It was the first time she had ever experienced real poverty.• You may experience some dizziness after taking the medicine.• From the post-war years until the mid-1960s it had experienced steady decline.• He said that he had never experienced such pain before.• Stanley Spencer had been through the war; he had experienced the horror, the vulgarity, of war.• Clearly, there is a gap between the Opposition Front Bench and those who have experienced these problems in their constituencies.experience problems/difficulties• In the survey mentioned above, the health sector was second only to mechanical engineering in the proportion of employers experiencing difficulties.• Persians, with their pushed-in faces, can experience problems breathing.• Those firefighters were experiencing problems in all four corners of the fire, said Forest Service spokeswoman Virginia Gibbons.• We have all experienced difficulties in transferring calls and in remote pickups, which we use routinely.• At the start of the season sufferers usually begin to experience problems when the pollen count reaches 50.• Ripken began to experience problems with his back in July.• Many owners experience problems with their landlords over maintenance charges, repairs and insurance.• When women experience problems with their menstrual cycles, such as irregular periods, doctors often give them hormones.From Longman Business Dictionaryexperienceex‧pe‧ri‧ence /ɪkˈspɪəriəns-ˈspɪr-/ noun [uncountable]1knowledge or skill gained from doing a particular jobHe is a high-up executive who has years of experience in advising investorsApplicants will normally have at least two years’ experience teaching English for Business.You will receive a salary in the range of £18,586 to £20,176 pa depending on qualifications and experience.Jack’s bank manager pointed out that he had no business experience and was therefore a high risk from the bank’s point of view.They are prepared to employ young people with no previous experience and train them.2INSURANCE a record of the difference in amount between claims made by insured people and money they pay for their insurance policies. This information is used by insurance companies to calculate the amount people should pay for their insurance policiesWith fleet insurance, the risk is rated on experience over the preceding five years.Origin experience1 (1300-1400) French Latin experientia “act of trying”, from experiri “to try out” 