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sample definition

sam·ple (sam′pəl, säm′-)

noun

  1. a part, piece, or item taken or shown as representative of a whole thing, group, species, etc.; specimen; pattern samples of wallpaper
  2. an illustration; example a sample of his humor
  3. a small amount of sound, music, etc. taken from one context, digitized and recorded, edited, and used again in another context
  4. ☆ Statistics a selected segment of a population studied to gain knowledge of the whole

Etymology: ME, aphetic for asample < Anglo-Fr, for OFr essample: see example

transitive verb sampled -·pled, sampling -·pling

  1. to take a sample or samples of, as for testing quality
  2. to digitize and record (small amounts of sound, music, etc.) for editing and using again in another context

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business sample definition - business

sample Synonyms

sample

n.

specimen, unit, individual; see example 1, representation.


sample

v.

taste, test, inspect; see examine 1, experiment 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

sample Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • fabricator: The survey covers a representative sample of 100 retail window fabricators.

Converse of object

  • collect: The new arrivals would start collecting samples which would be taken back to the laboratory for analysis.

Adjective modifier

  • random: This is a simple routine; the real problem lies in trying to justify its claim to produce a random sample.

Modifies a noun

  • size: Sample size was calculated according to a two-stage optimal Simon's design.

Noun used with modifier

  • urine: At the first appointment, you will usually be asked to bring a urine sample which will be tested for the presence of protein.
sample usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"sample." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/sample>

APA Style

sample. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/sample

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