sample

1 of 3

noun

sam·​ple ˈsam-pəl 

1

: a representative part or a single item from a larger whole or group especially when presented for inspection or shown as evidence of quality : specimen

2

: a finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole

3

: an excerpt from a recording (such as a popular song by another performer) that is used in a musical composition, recording, or performance

… had to substantially rewrite "Sometimes I Miss You … " when he was denied permission to use a Michael Jackson sample …

—Jon Young

sample

2 of 3

verb

sampled; sampling ˈsam-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to take a sample of or from

especially : to judge the quality of by a sample : test

sampled his output for defects

sample a wine

2

: to use a segment of (recorded music, sounds, or dialogue from another source) as part of one's own musical composition or recording

A Josh Wink record takes a series of sampled noises, then twists and warps them through a barrage of sound processors …

—Frank Broughton

: to use a sample (see sample entry 1 sense 3) from (another recording or performer)

… claims Carey sampled his hit "I Want to Thank You" on her 1992 song "Make It Happen."

—Jancee Dunn

sample

3 of 3

adjective

: serving as an illustration or example

sample questions

Synonyms

Noun

• cross section
• sampler
• sampling
• selection
• slice

Verb

• test
• try (out)

Choose the Right Synonym for sample

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

Examples of sample in a Sentence

Noun

We would like to see a sample of your work.

I tasted a sample of the new cereal.

Free samples were handed out at the store.

The sample included 96 women over the age of 40.

A random sample of people filled out the survey.

We looked at a representative sample of public schools.

Verb

She sampled everything the resort had to offer, from golfing to yoga.

A low percentage of the women sampled said that they smoked during pregnancy.

Five of the 20 schools sampled did not meet the standards.

Adjective

The teacher handed out a sample essay.

Here are some sample questions for the test.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and 3 percentage points for those with current debt. —Noam N. Levey, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2023

Later on in the day, a block party outside of the building was set-up to give students the opportunity to engage in career-boosting workshops, see artist Bobby Alvarez show off his mural skills, get their hands on free Cheetos samples and dance along to tunes provided by 102.7 KIIS FM. —James Dinh, Billboard, 21 Sep. 2023

There are some at-home food allergy tests that look for IgE antibodies in your blood sample. —Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Ld, Clec, Verywell Health, 21 Sep. 2023

Once the sample arrives at the company’s labs, the process of scanning for opioids differs slightly from that behind screening for infectious disease agents. —Alice Park, Time, 21 Sep. 2023

In the large sample size that is a 162-game season as well as the long careers many players have, a player performing well (or poorly) in big situations is expected to average out over time. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 20 Sep. 2023

The authors acknowledged several limitations, including the small sample size and that researchers didn’t model moment-to-moment changes in brain activity. —Mohana Ravindranath, STAT, 20 Sep. 2023

Despite the interesting findings in this recent study, the team from Toyohashi University of Technology acknowledges that a larger sample size, as well as real-world humans and robots, would make the conclusions more convincing. —Charlotte Hu, Popular Science, 20 Sep. 2023

The Australian scientists, who plan to publish their full findings later this year, studied samples from 30 other lungfish living at institutions in the United States and Australia. —Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023

Verb

While this is only the third asteroid sample captured from space, NASA has previously sampled other celestial objects. —WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023

Producing rum on the island for more than 250 years, this distillery is both a historic site and a great spot to sample iconic regional rum. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023

Some observations in recent years have suggested that, much like Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, Europa may shoot plumes of salty water out into space, which would allow nearby spacecraft to directly sample it. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2023

If so, this will be a baseline for additional remote studies of other asteroids NASA won’t send a spacecraft to sample. —Popular Science, 20 Sep. 2023

All those attendees will be able to sample the capsaicin offerings from Red Rock Salsa, Salsa Queen, Burn Your Tongue, Erlinda’s Authentic Salsa, Bear River Bottling, Natures Fiesta and Tongue Spank, Sauced Up Salsa, as well as Chili Beak. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023

In fact, Burgum has reached 2 percent in just one national poll that sampled at least 800 likely Republican voters since Aug. 1, a Kaplan Strategies survey conducted right after the first debate. —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2023

The company also wants to give users a chance to sample the offering, and for the company to see how it’s being used. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2023

His scholarly research and writings cover topics on polling methodology, voting behavior, and sampling techniques. —Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2023

Adjective

But, again, this low value only records an increasing inequality of sub-sample size. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2011

Here’s a sample Mediterranean diet meal plan for a day, which fits a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet and is around the range of those flexible Mediterranean diet macros mentioned above. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Oct. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French sample, essample, from Latin exemplum — more at example

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1767, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1820, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sample

• sample space

• sample space

Kids Definition

sample

1 of 2 noun

sam·​ple ˈsam-pəl 

1

: a part or thing that shows the quality of the whole or group

2

: a part (as a set of individuals chosen from a whole population) used for investigating the whole

sample

2 of 2 verb

sampled; sampling -p(ə-)liŋ 

: to judge the quality of by a sample

Medical Definition

sample

noun

sam·​ple ˈsam-pəl 

1

: a representative part or a single item from a larger whole or group especially when presented for inspection or shown as evidence of quality : specimen

a blood sample

2

: a finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole