define experience

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "define experience" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when you want to clarify or explain what is meant by the term "experience." An example could be: "In this context, we need to define experience to ensure everyone understands its implications." Alternative expressions include "explain experience" and "clarify experience."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

We define experience as " Patients' reports of how care was organised and delivered to meet their needs p.301" [ 15].

BMC Health Services Research

We define experience of the sacred as feeling connected to or aware of the unknowable, the infinite, immanent or transcendent in a way that creates awe, and seems to be precious, and connected to that which enlivens.

BMC Palliative Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Yet it seems worth wondering whether something will be lost in Never-Lost Land, in a world without such a common and universally defining experience.

The New Yorker

Peirce described the transition in the mind of sensation into feeling, defining experience as "consciousness of the action of a new feeling in destroying the old feeling".

The New Yorker

"With Skydio R1, cinematography becomes a software defined experience," Skydio CEO Adam Bry said in a statement.

TechCrunch

Traditional portal models that aggregate users and resell that aggregation are fundamentally at odds with the emerging paradigm of user and community defined experience and distributed consumption.

TechCrunch

Both have been defining experiences.

The Guardian

Stories of us with depth have founding moments, key choices, challenges faced, defining experiences, lessons learned.

Huffington Post

Water is how we experience the planet's climate; droughts and floods will overwhelmingly define our experience of climate change.

Huffington Post

Though the neighborhood had a reputation for violence, DuVernay didn't let it define her experience.

The Guardian - Film

And there is a further problem: how do we define work experience?

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use this phrase when you want to shift the focus from a general feeling to a specific set of criteria that can be measured or analyzed.

Common error

Do not use "define experience" when you simply mean to tell a story about what happened. A definition implies you are setting the rules for how the word should be understood in a specific context.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "define experience" acts as a transitive verb phrase. According to Ludwig AI, it is a correct and usable structure where 'define' is the action of establishing meaning and 'experience' is the direct object. It is frequently seen in the form of 'We define experience as...' in qualitative research.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

45%

News & Media

30%

Academia

25%

Less common in

Social Media

5%

Wiki

10%

Reference

15%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, the phrase "define experience" is a precise linguistic tool primarily reserved for contexts that require analytical rigor. While the exact phrase is somewhat rare compared to its adjective form "defining experience", Ludwig AI confirms it is entirely correct for use in formal writing. It is most effective when establishing operational definitions in scientific research or during deep journalistic investigations into personal identity. When using it, ensure that you provide the 'how' or 'why' of the definition to maximize clarity for your readers.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

characterize experience

Focuses on identifying the specific qualities or traits of an event.

describe experience

More narrative and less analytical than defining a term.

specify experience

Emphasizes the need for precision and detail within a set scope.

articulate experience

Emphasizes the verbal or written expression of the internal state.

clarify experience

Focuses on making a subjective event easier to understand.

delineate experience

Emphasizes the boundaries and limits of what the experience includes.

conceptualize experience

Focuses on the abstract or theoretical framework of an event.

outline experience

Suggests a brief or structural overview rather than a full definition.

recount experience

Specifically refers to the act of telling a story about past events.

evaluate experience

Focuses on the value or impact rather than the definition.

FAQs

How do I use "define experience" in a research context?

In research, you typically use it to establish scope, such as: "For this study, we "specify experience" as the subjective feedback provided by participants during the trial."

What can I say instead of "define experience"?

Depending on your intent, you can use "characterize experience", "describe experience" or "delineate experience".

Is "defining experience" more common than "define experience"?

Yes, the participial form "defining experience" is much more common in general English to describe an event that shapes someone's identity.

What is a more formal way to say "define experience"?

A more formal or academic alternative would be "conceptualize experience" or "theorize experience".