sample

SaySAM-puhlUS/ˈsæm.pəl/AUS/ˈsæːm.pəl/UKSAHM-puhl/ˈsɑːm.pəl/

Pluralsamples

Verbsamples, sampling, sampled

10 meanings of sample

Practice

1
nouncountable
A small part of something that shows what the whole is like.
Like one bite of a cake that tells you how the whole cake tastes.
The carpet store gave us a small sample to take home.
He brought a few samples of his artwork to the interview.
Similarspecimen, example, portion, piece
2
nouncountable
A small bit of food given out for free so you can taste it.
Like trying a tiny spoon of ice cream before you buy a whole cup.
The bakery handed me a sample of their new bread.
Shoppers lined up for free cheese samples at the store.
Similartaste, taster, morsel, bite
Note
3
nouncountable
A small piece of a product given for free so you can check its quality or color.
Like a small piece of cloth that shows you the color before you buy the whole roll.
She asked for a paint sample before choosing a color for the wall.
The company mailed free fabric samples to interested customers.
Similarswatch, specimen
Note
4
nouncountable
A small group chosen from a larger group, used to learn about the whole group.
Like tasting one spoon of soup to know how the whole pot tastes.
The researchers studied a sample of a hundred students.
Bigger samples usually give more reliable results.
Similarcross-section, subset, selection
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5
verbtransitive
To take a small part of something to test or check it.
Like taking one small bite to test if the food is cooked.
The nurse will sample your blood for the test.
Scientists sampled the water from three different lakes.
Similartest, taste, try, check
Note
6
verbtransitive
To use a piece of an existing recording in a new song.
Like cutting a small clip from one song and placing it inside another.
Many producers sample old soul records to build new beats.
The DJ sampled a famous drum break for his latest track.
Similarborrow, lift, reuse, quote
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7
nouncountable
A well-known bit of music or film borrowed and used in a new recording.
Like dropping a famous line from a movie into your own video.
Listeners instantly recognized the sample from a classic movie line.
The song is packed with samples lifted from old cartoons.
Similarsnippet, excerpt, clip, quotation
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8
verbtransitive
To turn a smooth, continuous signal into a series of separate measured points.
Like taking many quick photos of moving water to capture it as separate still pictures.
Recording software will sample the sound thousands of times each second.
The device samples the incoming signal at a fixed rate.
Similardigitize, measure
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9
verbtransitive
To make or show something that looks like a sample.
The game can sample a whole field of grass from one small picture.
The big map on the screen was sampled from a much smaller copy.
Similargenerate, synthesize, derive
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Less common meaning

10
nounobsolete
An example or pattern that others should copy or follow.
Like a model student that others try to be like.
Her quiet patience was a sample to every young woman in the parish.
[The King] Liu’d in Court / (Which rare it is to do) moſt prais’d, moſt lou’d, / A ſample to the yongeſt.
1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”Here, sample means an example or model for others to follow.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It came from Old French essample meaning "example," which came from Latin exemplum.