sampling

noun

sam·​pling ˈsam-pliŋ 

for senses 1 & 3

-p(ə-)liŋ 

1

: the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample

specifically : the act, process, or technique of selecting a representative part of a population for the purpose of determining parameters or characteristics of the whole population

2

: a small part selected as a sample for inspection or analysis

ask a sampling of people which candidate they favor

3

: the introduction or promotion of a product by distributing trial packages of it

Synonyms

• sample

Examples of sampling in a Sentence

The reporter asked a sampling of people about their eating habits.

a sampling of the menu's entrées

We were given a sampling of the food.

The band does a lot of sampling.

Recent Examples on the Web

Most of this is based on statistical sampling of a subset of data collected by the crudest of means. —Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

At the market’s Shed 5, the Detroit Sandwich Day Party brings together sandwich enthusiasts for a wide array of sandwich samplings from metro Detroit restaurants and bars. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Potential missions include water-quality sampling, rapid delivery of supplies to remote areas, and search-and-rescue operations in coastal environments where traditional drones may struggle. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025

Beat the heat with a sampling of sweet treats this weekend. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sampling

• chorionic villus sampling

Rhymes for sampling

• trampling
• resampling
• subsampling

Medical Definition

sampling

noun

sam·​pling ˈsam-pliŋ 

1

: the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample

specifically : the act, process, or technique of selecting a representative part of a population for the purpose of determining parameters or characteristics of the whole population

2

: sample

obtain a sampling of urine