sample

1 of 3

noun

sam·​ple ˈsam-pəl How to pronounce sample (audio)
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 sampleJon Young

sample

2 of 3

verb

sampled; sampling ˈsam-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce sample (audio)

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
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. See More
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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sample.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sample was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sample

Cite this Entry

“Sample.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sample. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

sample

1 of 2 noun
sam·​ple ˈsam-pəl How to pronounce sample (audio)
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 How to pronounce sample (audio)
: to judge the quality of by a sample

Medical Definition

sample

noun
sam·​ple ˈsam-pəl How to pronounce sample (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on sample

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