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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of sampler

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

Example Sentences

"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

Build your own sampler of three varieties, and if you’re feeling generous, maybe gift a tin.

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

So consider this not a completist collection of Gordon’s music, but merely a tantalizing and deliciously distorted sampler.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2024

My grandmother's sampler, from when she was a girl, said "Be Not Solitary, Be Not Idle."

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman

Related Words

• brocade
• decoration
• lace
• needlepoint
• quilting
• tapestry