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

There will be hands-on training to conduct water quality testing and macro-invertebrate sampling. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

The company discovered the issue after conducting routine sampling and testing of its ingredients from external suppliers. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025

Oysterville Sea Farms is the place to see the best oyster beds and watch the boats come in and out and Goose Point Family Farm and Oystery offers samplings and oysters for purchase. —Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025

The team used laser ablation mass spectrometry (LA-MS), a technique that uses direct micro-scale sampling to provide high-precision elemental and isotope analyses of solid materials, to scan Neanderthal molars and other hominid fossils. —New Atlas, 17 Oct. 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