example

noun

ex·am·ple | \ ig-ˈzam-pəl

Definition of example

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one that serves as a pattern to be imitated or not to be imitated a good example

2 : a punishment inflicted on someone as a warning to others also : an individual so punished

3 : one that is representative of all of a group or type

4 : a parallel or closely similar case especially when serving as a precedent or model

5 : an instance (such as a problem to be solved) serving to illustrate a rule or precept or to act as an exercise in the application of a rule

for example \ fər-ig-ˈzam-pəl

How to pronounce fər-ig-ˈzam-pəl (audio)

, frig- \

: as an example there are many sources of air pollution; exhaust fumes, for example

example

verb

exampled; exampling\ ig-ˈzam-p(ə-)liŋ

Definition of example (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to serve as an example of

2 archaic : to be or set an example to

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Choose the Right Synonym for example

Noun

instance, case, illustration, example, sample, specimen mean something that exhibits distinguishing characteristics in its category. instance applies to any individual person, act, or thing that may be offered to illustrate or explain. an instance of history repeating itself case is used to direct attention to a real or assumed occurrence or situation that is to be considered, studied, or dealt with. a case of mistaken identity illustration applies to an instance offered as a means of clarifying or illuminating a general statement. a telling illustration of Murphy's Law example applies to a typical, representative, or illustrative instance or case. a typical example of bureaucratic waste sample implies a part or unit taken at random from a larger whole and so presumed to be typical of its qualities. show us a sample of your work specimen applies to any example or sample whether representative or merely existent and available. one of the finest specimens of the jeweler's art

model, example, pattern, exemplar, ideal mean someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation. model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation. a decor that is a model of good taste example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning. children tend to follow the example of their parents pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype. American industry set a pattern for others to follow exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification. cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception. never found a job that matched his ideal

Examples of example in a Sentence

Noun

He set a good example for the rest of us. She gave several examples to show that the program is effective. We've chosen three examples of contemporary architecture for closer study. a classic example of a Persian rug a fine example of the artist's work The dictionary includes thousands of examples.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

See Jacquemus, for example, which upped the ante on its wildly popular Le Chiquito bag in February with an even smaller palm-size trinket that could barely hold a single coin or tube of lipstick. — Vogue, "Why the Tiny Purse Is Actually the Perfect Festival Style Staple," 5 Apr. 2019 The 2011 Tohoku quake in Japan for example, which was a magnitude 9.0, created six-foot-high seiches 30 minutes later in a faraway Norwegian fjord. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Annihilation Event That Killed The Dinosaurs Left This Diverse Graveyard Trapped in Time," 1 Apr. 2019 For example, recent court documents suggest that an investigation around why Manafort turned over campaign polling data in 2016 to a Russian associate tied to Russian intelligence is still ongoing. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "The Eagle Has Landed: The Mueller Report Has Been Delivered," 22 Mar. 2019 The shape of some makeup products, for example, isn't always universally conducive to being picked up or held. — Marci Robin, Allure, "A New Makeup Brand Is Making Mascara Wands More Accessible for People With Disabilities," 22 Mar. 2019 Take last winter for example, when Amber Heard shared a shocking story from her experience on the set of Aquaman. — Glamour, "A Tabloid Called the Hadids’ Books ‘Hot Accessories’ and People Have Thoughts," 21 Mar. 2019 For example, kale reappearing on the list will likely make headlines, despite the lack of data on whether or not eating high amounts of kale can actually harm to you. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "The New Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Are Here — But Should You Care?," 20 Mar. 2019 Metro Exodus, for example, uses DXR for Global Illumination—all natural lighting in the world is ray traced. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "RTX on GTX: Nvidia is enabling ray tracing on some GeForce GTX graphics cards," 18 Mar. 2019 For example, in March the Ides falls on the 15th; days 8 to 14 were simply referred to as before the Ides. — Jill Gleeson, Country Living, "So, What Exactly Are the Ides of March?," 15 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'example.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.