example

[ ig-zam-puhl, -zahm- ]

/ ɪgˈzæm pəl, -ˈzɑm- /

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See synonyms for: example / examples on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

a pattern or model, as of something to be imitated or avoided: to set a good example.

an instance serving for illustration; a representative case: The case histories gave carefully detailed examples of this disease.

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

an instance, especially of punishment, serving as a warning to others: Public executions were meant to be examples to the populace.

a precedent; parallel case: an action without example.

verb (used with object), ex·am·pled, ex·am·pling.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR example

1 sample, specimen.

2 exemplar, ideal, model, paradigm, pattern, standard; template; precedent, lead.

3 case, exemplar, exemplification, illustration, instance, prototype, representative.

See synonyms for example on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

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Origin of example

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

synonym study for example

1. 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. 2. See ideal. 3. See case¹.

Words nearby example

examine, examinee, examine-in-chief, examiner, examinership, example, exanimate, ex animo, ex ante, exanthem, exanthema

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use example in a sentence

For example, a site with just two hundred pages could easily export all indexed pages, and typically all excluded pages by category.
Google goes dark theme and passage ranking sees the light: Friday’s daily brief|Barry Schwartz|February 12, 2021|Search Engine Land
For example, while “running shoes” can be a generic keyword, a long-tail version of this could be “men’s running shoes with thick soles”.
A comprehensive guide on using Google Trends for keyword research|Aayush Gupta|February 12, 2021|Search Engine Watch
The obvious example Google presented was jaguar, which can be the animal, sports team, car manufacturer or others.
Google Image Search update reduces duplicate image results|Barry Schwartz|February 11, 2021|Search Engine Land
For example, the audit found that not all revenue is tracked by the agency’s accounting office.
Utility Companies Owe Millions to This State Regulatory Agency. The Problem? The Agency Can’t Track What It’s Owed.|by Scott Morris, Bay City News Foundation|February 10, 2021|ProPublica

Notejoy, for example, makes software for taking notes and sharing them with colleagues.
The Memo: Tools of the trade|Heather Landy|February 10, 2021|Quartz
As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
With Vice, that was an example of you keeping yourself interested too, right?
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That makes it incredibly difficult to determine the effects of airstrikes, for example.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In 2004, for example, Scalise voted “no” on a resolution to make Martin Luther King Jr.
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The afternoon was a lovely one—the day was a perfect example of the mellowest mood of autumn.
Confidence|Henry James
After an eight weeks' siege, a breach having been made, the city surrendered, and a month later the fort followed the example.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Their sin began on Holy Thursday, with so little secrecy and so bad an example, that the affair was beginning to leak out.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The book contains many words in which some though not all of the letters are in italics, for example Swordsman.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
For example, there is a vast discussion afoot upon the questions that centre upon Property, its rights and its limitations.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

British Dictionary definitions for example

example

/ (ɪɡˈzɑːmpəl) /

noun

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

a person, action, thing, etc, that is worthy of imitation; patternyou must set an example to the younger children

a precedent, illustration of a principle, or modelan example in a maths book

a punishment or the recipient of a punishment serving or intended to serve as a warningthe headmaster made an example of him

for example as an illustration; for instance

verb

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

Word Origin for example

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with example

example

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

example

OTHER WORDS FOR example

Origin of example

synonym study for example

Words nearby example

Words related to example

How to use example in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for example

Word Origin for example

Other Idioms and Phrases with example