sample
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a small amount of something that shows you what the rest is like.
n.a representative part or item taken from a larger group or mass for inspection or analysis.
Simple“The doctor asked for a blood sample to check for any health problems.”
In context“The laboratory technician carefully labelled each soil sample before beginning the chemical analysis to determine nutrient levels.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a small group of people or things chosen from a larger group to be studied.
n.a subset of a population selected for measurement or questioning to generate data reflecting the whole.
Simple“The survey used a sample of 500 students from across the country.”
In context“To ensure the validity of the study, the researchers selected a random sample that accurately represented the city's diverse demographics.”
Synonymssubsetcross sectionAntonyms - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a small piece of food or a product given to you for free to try.
n.a small quantity of a commercial product, often food or fabric, provided to consumers for trial or evaluation.
Simple“The supermarket was giving out free samples of their new cheese.”
In context“The salesperson offered a fabric sample so the interior designer could verify the colour under different lighting conditions.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a short piece of a recorded song used in a new song.
n.a portion of an existing sound recording reused as an instrument or a sound recording in a new composition.
Simple“The hip-hop track uses a famous sample from a 1970s jazz record.”
In context“The producer spent hours manipulating the vocal sample, pitching it down until it was almost unrecognisable from the original source.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
v.to try a small amount of something to see if you like it.
v.to test or examine a representative part of something; often used for tasting food or experiencing a variety of things.
Simple“We spent the afternoon sampling different types of tea at the market.”
In context“During his travels through Southeast Asia, he made a point of sampling the local street food in every city he visited.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
v.to take a piece of sound from one recording and use it in another.
v.to incorporate a segment of a pre-existing sound recording into a new musical work.
Simple“Many modern pop songs sample classic hits from the eighties.”
In context“The artist was sued for copyright infringement after he sampled a well-known bassline without obtaining the necessary legal permissions.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and requires a direct object representing the source material.
Usage samples collected · independent sample · initial sample
Inherited from Middle English saumple, sample, from Old French essample (“example”), from Latin exemplum. Doublet of example and exemplum.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.