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Synonyms

sampler

American  
[sam-pler, sahm-] / ˈsæm plər, ˈsɑm- /

noun

  1. a person who samples.

  2. a piece of cloth embroidered with various stitches, serving to show a beginner's skill in needlework.

  3. a collection of samples, selections, etc..

    a sampler of French poetry.

  4. an electronic device that digitally encodes and stores samples of sound.

sampler British  
/ ˈsɑːmplə /

noun

  1. a person who takes samples

  2. a piece of embroidery executed as an example of the embroiderer's skill in using a variety of stitches: often incorporating numbers, letters, and the name and age of the embroiderer in a decorative panel

  3. music a piece of electronic equipment used for sampling

  4. a recording comprising a collection of tracks from other albums, intended to stimulate interest in the featured products

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sampler

1250–1300; Middle English samplere < Old French essamplere, exemplaire < Latin exemplārium exemplar

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Joe Jurgielewicz & Son Duck Sampler – You really should try cooking duck.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Whitman’s Sampler and the Russell Stover Holiday Season Box with 52 pieces got new packaging and new dimensions that did away with what was, essentially, a false bottom.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

The Tandoori Kebab Sampler is a divine melding of flavors.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2022

For this retail and shopping mall giant, Mr. Sampler designed everything from environmental graphics and logos to door pulls and tile walls before he left in the mid-1980s to start his own firm.

From New York Times • Oct. 28, 2021

The yellow Whitman’s Sampler box that held my colored pencils, stickers, and scraps of paper still smelled of chocolate but no longer contained a delicious assortment of candy.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.