sampler
Americannoun
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a person who takes samples
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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
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music a piece of electronic equipment used for sampling
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a recording comprising a collection of tracks from other albums, intended to stimulate interest in the featured products
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.
That sampler captured the band’s brand of thrash punk in its purest form.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
"That's the sound you hear on Strawberry Fields Forever," he says, indicating a Mellotron organ, an early sampler that used tape loops to produce orchestral sounds.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The duck sampler is my favorite place to start, especially for first-timers.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
Dashi is the foundation of Japanese food, and this sampler offers scrumptious variations on the umami-rich broth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
When we get back to the table, there’s a big sampler plate of all of the restaurants desserts waiting for us.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
