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sample

n. · v.
US //ˈsæmpəɫ// UK //sˈɑːmpəl// sam·ple
  1. 1 a specimen or example (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a small amount of something that shows you what the rest is like.

    a representative part or item taken from a larger group or mass for inspection or analysis.

    Example

    The doctor asked for a blood sample to check for any health problems.

    Example

    The laboratory technician carefully labelled each soil sample before beginning the chemical analysis to determine nutrient levels.
  2. 2 statistics (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Math

    a small group of people or things chosen from a larger group to be studied.

    a subset of a population selected for measurement or questioning to generate data reflecting the whole.

    Example

    The survey used a sample of 500 students from across the country.

    Example

    To ensure the validity of the study, the researchers selected a random sample that accurately represented the city's diverse demographics.
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  1. 3 food or product trial (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Cooking

    a small piece of food or a product given to you for free to try.

    a small quantity of a commercial product, often food or fabric, provided to consumers for trial or evaluation.

    Example

    The supermarket was giving out free samples of their new cheese.

    Example

    The salesperson offered a fabric sample so the interior designer could verify the colour under different lighting conditions.
  2. 4 music (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Music

    a short piece of a recorded song used in a new song.

    a portion of an existing sound recording reused as an instrument or a sound recording in a new composition.

    Example

    The hip-hop track uses a famous sample from a 1970s jazz record.

    Example

    The producer spent hours manipulating the vocal sample, pitching it down until it was almost unrecognisable from the original source.
  3. 5 to try or test (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to try a small amount of something to see if you like it.

    to test or examine a representative part of something; often used for tasting food or experiencing a variety of things.

    Example

    We spent the afternoon sampling different types of tea at the market.

    Example

    During his travels through Southeast Asia, he made a point of sampling the local street food in every city he visited.
  4. 6 to reuse audio (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Music

    to take a piece of sound from one recording and use it in another.

    to incorporate a segment of a pre-existing sound recording into a new musical work.

    Example

    Many modern pop songs sample classic hits from the eighties.

    Example

    The artist was sued for copyright infringement after he sampled a well-known bassline without obtaining the necessary legal permissions.

    Usage

    The verb is transitive and requires a direct object representing the source material.
Origin

Inherited from Middle English saumple, sample, from Old French essample (“example”), from Latin exemplum. Doublet of example and exemplum.

Word family

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