sample

[sam-puhl, sahm-]

noun

1. a small part of anything or one of a number, intended to show the quality, style, or nature of the whole; specimen.

2. Statistics.,  a subset of a population.

   to study a sample of the total population.

3. a sound of short duration, as a musical tone or a drumbeat, digitally stored in a synthesizer for playback.

adjective

1. serving as a specimen.

   a sample piece of cloth.

verb (used with object)

sampled, sampling 

1. to take a sample or samples of; test or judge by a sample.

sample

/ ˈsɑːmpəl /

noun

1. 1. a small part of anything, intended as representative of the whole; specimen

   2. ( as modifier )

      a sample bottle

2. Also called: sampling. statistics

   1. a set of individuals or items selected from a population for analysis to yield estimates of, or to test hypotheses about, parameters of the whole population. A biased sample is one in which the items selected share some property which influences their distribution, while a random sample is devised to avoid any such interference so that its distribution is affected only by, and so can be held to represent, that of the whole population See also matched sample

   2. ( as modifier )

      sample distribution

verb

1. (tr) to take a sample or samples of

2. music

   1. to take a short extract from (one record) and mix it into a different backing track

   2. to record (a sound) and feed it into a computerized synthesizer so that it can be reproduced at any pitch

sample

1. In statistics, a group drawn from a larger population and used to estimate the characteristics of the whole population.

Opinion polls use small groups of people, often selected at random, as a sample of the opinions of the general public.

Other Word Forms

• intersample noun
• missample verb
• resample verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sample¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Old French word essample. See example

Word History and Origins

Origin of sample¹

C13: from Old French essample, from Latin exemplum _example

Synonym Study

See example.

Example Sentences

After the 2008 Pro Bowl player refused a field sobriety test, police said, a search warrant was obtained and a blood sample was taken at a hospital.

From Los Angeles Times

The move could appeal to consumers who feel overwhelmed by the different streaming choices and give them a chance to sample what each platform offers without dealing with additional cost.

From Los Angeles Times

Here’s a sampling of the most anticipated books of fall.

From Los Angeles Times

And death follows in books about talking corpses, cemetery folklore and the darkest days of World War II. Here’s a sampling of this fall’s bounty.

From Los Angeles Times

Will Verstappen, then, get a chance to sample the madness of the grandstands for himself?

From BBC

Related Words

• case 
• fragment 
• pattern 
• piece 
• sampling 
• specimen