as in sample
a number of things selected from a group to stand for the whole
a sampling of shoppers said they preferred fresh orange juice over frozen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in testing
to put (something) to a test
sampled the soup to see if it tasted good
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sampling
Mika Ellison, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Regular water sampling showed the Boarmans’ water still getting saltier, according to the test results.
—Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026
IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
Students moved from booth to booth sampling everything from Cajun pasta and cheesy enchilada bake to sushi rolls and strawberry pancake puffs.
—Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sampling
Noun
Here's a sampling of village-building activities from our readers.
—Mika Ellison, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Regular water sampling showed the Boarmans’ water still getting saltier, according to the test results.
—Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
Tissue sampling remains the gold standard diagnostic tool in gastroenterology, offering insights far beyond what doctors can glean from visual inspection or blood tests.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
Students moved from booth to booth sampling everything from Cajun pasta and cheesy enchilada bake to sushi rolls and strawberry pancake puffs.
—Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sampling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sampling
Noun
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Soil samples from the scene Then last week came a small glimmer of hope.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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For decades, pharmaceutical marketing focused on physicians by advertising in medical journals, visits by sales representatives and providing free samples.—
Anna Chorniy,
The Conversation,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unlike OpenAI, which is testing ads in ChatGPT, Anthropic has pledged not to show ads in its chatbot Claude.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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And at a time of deep polarization, this moment is testing how far Britt, and other lawmakers, are willing to go to tackle knotty policy problems captivating national attention.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sampling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sampling. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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