samples

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of sample.

   Researchers collected soil samples from three different fields.

   The shop displayed fabric samples in a wide range of colors.

   Note

   A regular -s plural that covers every kind of sample: soil or blood specimens, free tastings at a counter, fabric swatches, snippets borrowed from other recordings. In statistics, watch the count. A sample is already a subset of a population, so three samples means three separate subsets, not three people. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb, as in she samples the wine.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of sample.

   Each visitor samples a different cheese as they move down the counter.

   The quality inspector samples one box from every shipment that arrives.

   Note

   The form a singular subject takes in the present tense: he samples, the inspector samples. Every use of the verb is transitive, so it needs an object. A producer samples an old record, a digital recorder samples a sound wave, and a shopper samples the cheese. Other subjects take the bare form: I sample, they sample.

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