(put it down/chalk it up) to experience
Meaning(s)
1. to regard failure as a learning experience rather than focusing on negative implications
Popularity
Medium
Professional
Medium
Social
How to Memorize
it's a shame it didn't work out, but we'll put it down/chalk it up to experience
Analysis
When you 'put something down to experience' or 'chalk it up to experience', you are expressing that you are using a negative or unsuccessful outcome as a learning experience or teachable moment, rather than dwelling on the negative outcome. You will often hear this expression used in teaching environments or in personal situations, or where the negative outcome has been low risk.
Social Examples (Advance)
- I learned a lot about myself during this ordeal. I'll just have to put it down to experience.
- I didn't listen to any of the advice you gave me - I thought I had all the answers. No wonder things didn't do well. I'll chalk the whole thing up to experience and move on.
Professional Examples (Basic)
- As an organisation I have to admit we made quite a few avoidable mistakes on this one. We'll have to chalk it up to experience and learn from it.
- We lost out big time by not recognising the change in the market. We'll have to put it down to experience and keep on top of things next time.