adventure Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
    risky venture; escapade; dangerous undertaking.
  2. verb take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
    risk; take a chance; hazard; take chances; chance; gamble; run a risk.
    • When you buy these stocks you are gambling
  3. verb put at risk
    stake; jeopardize; hazard; venture.
    • I will stake my good reputation for this

WordNet

Ad*ven"ture noun
Etymology
OE. aventure, aunter, anter, F. aventure, fr. LL. adventura, fr. L. advenire, adventum, to arrive, which in the Romance languages took the sense of "to happen, befall." See Advene.
Definitions
  1. That which happens without design; chance; hazard; hap; hence, chance of danger or loss.
    Nay, a far less good to man it will be found, if she must, at all adventures, be fastened upon him individually. Milton.
  2. Risk; danger; peril. Obs.
    He was in great adventure of his life. Berners.
  3. The encountering of risks; hazardous and striking enterprise; a bold undertaking, in which hazards are to be encountered, and the issue is staked upon unforeseen events; a daring feat.
    He loved excitement and adventure. Macaulay.
  4. A remarkable occurrence; a striking event; a stirring incident; as, the adventures of one's life. Bacon.
  5. A mercantile or speculative enterprise of hazard; a venture; a shipment by a merchant on his own account. Syn. -- Undertaking; enterprise; venture; event.
Ad*ven"ture transitive verb
Etymology
OE. aventuren, auntren, F. aventurer, fr. aventure. See Adventure, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Adventured present participle & verbal noun Adventuring
Definitions
  1. To risk, or hazard; jeopard; to venture.
    He would not adventure himself into the theater. Acts xix. 31.
  2. To venture upon; to run the risk of; to dare.
    Yet they adventured to go back. Bunyan,
    Discriminations might be adventured. J. Taylor.
Ad*ven"ture intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To try the chance; to take the risk.
    I would adventure for such merchandise. Shak.

Webster 1913