sampling

1 of 2

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

sampling

2 of 2

present participle of sample entry 2

Synonyms of sampling

Noun

• sample

Examples of sampling in a Sentence

Noun

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

Noun

But that free-wheeling period of sampling came to an end as copyright infringement litigation against artist Biz Markie led to new rules around it, creating both a logistical and financial barrier to its use. — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

These two novels are just a sampling of recent portrayals of this surreal land of limbo, but there are many more. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

The work covered collection, documentation, description, sectioning, scanning, sampling, testing and archiving. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

More suspicious findings can lead to short-interval CT, PET/CT, tissue sampling or specialist referral. — Oran Muduroglu, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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