sample

American  

[sam-puhl, sahm-] / ˈsæm pəl, ˈsɑm- /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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 Cultural  

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

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Related Words

See example.

Discover More

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)

Etymology

Origin of sample

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

Example Sentences

Mr Shoukat disagreed with a suggestion from prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford that such a move was "unhygienic", telling jurors: "It was waste and the room was being refurbished. The sample itself was sealed."

From BBC

But this is a competition these players now feel they belong in after so many of the squad only sampled life at Europe's top table for the first time back in 2023.

From BBC

Importantly, blood samples from people with non-small cell lung cancer showed a similar pattern.

From Science Daily

Brown partnered with Slater, who was as good as his word, improving on the Arkwright model and turning out yarn that his old master in Derbyshire—to whom Slater sent a sample—labeled excellent.

From Barron's

According to Bassini-Silva, collaborations with field researchers and environmental consulting companies may soon lead to more samples.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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