example

[ig-zam-puhl, -zahm-]

noun

1. one of a number of things, or a part of something, taken to show the character of the whole.

   This painting is an example of his early work.

   Synonyms: specimen, sample

2. a pattern or model, as of something to be imitated or avoided.

   to set a good example.

   Synonyms: lead, precedent, template, standard, pattern, paradigm, model, ideal, exemplar

3. an instance serving for illustration; a representative case.

   The case histories gave carefully detailed examples of this disease.

   Synonyms: representative, prototype, instance, illustration, exemplification, exemplar, case

4. an instance illustrating a rule or method, as a mathematical problem proposed for solution.

5. an instance, especially of punishment, serving as a warning to others.

   Public executions were meant to be examples to the populace.

6. a precedent; parallel case.

   an action without example.

verb (used with object)

exampled, exampling 

1. Rare.,  to give or be an example of; exemplify (used in the passive).

example

/ ɪɡˈzɑːmpəl /

noun

1. a specimen or instance that is typical of the group or set of which it forms part; sample

2. a person, action, thing, etc, that is worthy of imitation; pattern

   you must set an example to the younger children

3. a precedent, illustration of a principle, or model

   an example in a maths book

4. a punishment or the recipient of a punishment serving or intended to serve as a warning

   the headmaster made an example of him

5. as an illustration; for instance

verb

1. (tr; now usually passive) to present an example of; exemplify

Word History and Origins

Origin of example¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English exa(u)mple, from Middle French example, from Latin exemplum, akin to eximere “to take out,” from ex- ex- ¹ + emere “to buy,” originally “to take”; replacing Middle English exemple, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of example¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin exemplum pattern, from eximere to take out, from _ex- ¹ + emere to purchase

Idioms and Phrases

see for example; make an example of; set an example.

Synonym Study

Example, sample, specimen refer to an individual phenomenon taken as representative of a type, or to a part representative of the whole. Example is used of an object, condition, etc., that is assumed to illustrate a certain principle or standard: a good example of baroque architecture. Sample refers to a small portion of a substance or to a single representative of a group or type that is intended to show what the rest of the substance or the group is like: a sample of yarn. Specimen usually suggests that the “sample” chosen is intended to serve a scientific or technical purpose: a blood specimen; zoological specimens. See ideal. See case ¹.

Example Sentences

In the press release, the sheriff’s office included a picture of a chef’s knife with a green sheath as an example of the “suspected weapon” used in the crime.

Read more on Salon

That is one example of a broader dynamic that has characterized Christianity since its earliest days and the Chinese church since Mao Zedong came to power.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The 1880s Artillery Officer Quarters, for example, have been restored and brilliantly whitewashed as the swank Capella Hotel.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The result is the latest example of a country where pollsters have failed to capture public sentiment in electoral races involving antiestablishment contenders.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"It's a brilliant example of how Australian innovation can make a global impact in space science."

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• case 
• illustration 
• lesson 
• object 
• part 
• pattern 
• precedent 
• symbol