adventure

adventure — noun

1. a journey or activity that is exciting and may involve danger, or the eager feel

1.nounA2
Definition

a journey or activity that is exciting and may involve danger, or the eager feeling that comes from doing such things.

Example

Bao and his brother had an amazing adventure climbing Mount Fuji last summer.

have + adventure: countable use

The children read stories about pirates and dreamed of their own adventures at sea.

Common collocations
  • have an adventure
  • go on an adventure
  • a sense of adventure
  • spirit of adventure
  • a great adventure
Synonyms
  • expedition

    more formal; a planned journey, often for research or exploration

  • escapade

    playful or slightly reckless adventure, often short

  • exploit

    a brave or daring act, usually praised after the fact

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

have an adventure

a sense of adventure

Usage Note

Used both as a countable noun (a single trip or event) and as an uncountable noun for the general feeling, especially in the phrase 'a sense of adventure'.

Common Mistakes

I want to make an adventure this summer.
I want to have an adventure this summer.
the verb is 'have' or 'go on', not 'make'.

adventure — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These nouns all describe travel or activity away from ordinary life, but they differ in tone and purpose. An 'adventure' suggests excitement, surprise, and possible danger, and is the most general everyday word — children have adventures, and so do tourists. An 'expedition' is more formal and organised, usually with a clear goal such as research, climbing, or exploration: 'an expedition to Antarctica'. A 'journey' is simply travel from one place to another and need not be exciting at all: 'her daily journey to work'. An 'escapade' is short, playful, and often slightly foolish or rule-breaking, like sneaking out at night. An 'exploit' is a brave or impressive act looked back on with admiration, often used in the plural: 'the exploits of a famous explorer'.

adventure ↗expedition ↗journey ↗escapadeexploit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • adventure story
  • adventure film
  • adventure park
  • adventure holiday
  • spirit of adventure

Phrases

  • have an adventure
  • go on an adventure
  • a sense of adventure
  • a real adventure

Prepositions

  • adventure in
  • adventure with
  • the adventure of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'adventura', meaning 'a thing about to happen', based on the verb 'advenire' ('to arrive, come to'). It entered English through Old French 'aventure' in the 1200s, first meaning 'chance' or 'fate' — what would happen to a person. By the late Middle Ages the sense had shifted toward 'a daring or risky undertaking', and the modern meaning of an exciting experience grew from there. The 'd' was added back in spelling later to match the Latin form.