sample

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: sam=ple

CIDE DICTIONARY

sample, n. [OE. sample, asaumple, OF. essample, example, fr. L. exemplum. See Example, and cf. Ensample, Sampler.].

•  Example; pattern.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thus he concludes, and every hardy knight
  His sample followed."  [1913 Webster]
•  A part of anything presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen; as, goods are often purchased by samples.  [1913 Webster]

  "I design this but for a sample of what I hope more fully to discuss."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Specimen; example. See Specimen.

sample, v. t. 

•  To make or show something similar to; to match.  Bp. Hall.  [1913 Webster]
•  To take or to test a sample or samples of; as, to sample sugar, teas, wools, cloths.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sample, n. & v.
--n.
1 a small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like.
2 a small amount of fabric, food, or other commodity, esp. given to a prospective customer.
3 a specimen, esp. one taken for scientific testing or analysis.
4 an illustrative or typical example.
--v.tr.
1 take or give samples of.
2 try the qualities of.
3 get a representative experience of.

Idiom

sample bag Austral. an (orig. free) bag of advertisers' samples.

Etymology

ME f. AF assample, OF essample EXAMPLE

THESAURUS

sample

adjunct, assay, barometer, bite, bring to test, canvass, case, case history, characteristic, component, conduct a poll, confirm, constituent, contingent, cross section, cut and try, detachment, detail, distinctive, distinguishing, division, dole, element, essay, example, exemplary, experience, experiment, feeler, fraction, fragment, give a try, give a tryout, have a go, illustration, illustrative, indication, individual, installment, item, little bite, little smack, make a survey, natural, naturalistic, nibble, normal, parcel, part, particular, percentage, piece, pilot balloon, play around with, poll, portion, practice upon, probe, prove, put to trial, quadrant, quarter, questionnaire, quintessential, quota, random sample, realistic, regular, remainder, representation, representational, representative, research, road-test, run a sample, sampler, sampling, savor, section, sector, segment, shake down, share, sign, sip, smack, sound, sounder, specimen, straw vote, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, substantiate, sup, survey, swatch, taste, taste of, taster, test, trial, trial balloon, true to form, true to type, try, try it on, try out, typal, typic, typical, unit, usual, validate, verify, weather vane, weathercock

ROGET THESAURUS

sample

Conformity

N conformity, conformance, observance, habituation, naturalization, conventionality, agreement, example, instance, specimen, sample, quotation, exemplification, illustration, case in point, object lesson, elucidation, standard, model, pattern, rule, nature, principle, law, order of things, normal state, natural state, ordinary state, model state, normal condition, natural condition, ordinary condition, model condition, standing dish, standing order, Procrustean law, law of the Medes and Persians, hard and fast rule, conformable to rule, regular, according to regulation, according to rule, according to Hoyle, according to Cocker, according to Gunter, en regle, selon les regles, well regulated, orderly, symmetric, conventional, of daily occurrence, of everyday occurrence, in the natural order of things, ordinary, common, habitual, usual, everyday, workaday, in the order of the day, naturalized, typical, normal, nominal, formal, canonical, orthodox, sound, strict, rigid, positive, uncompromising, Procrustean, secundum artem, shipshape, technical, exempIe, illustrative, in point, conformably, by rule, agreeably to, in conformity with, in accordance with, in keeping with, according to, consistently with, as usual, ad instar, instar omnium, more solito, more-majorum, for the sake of conformity, as a matter of course, of course, pro forma, for form's sake, by the card, invariably, for example, exempli gratia, e, g, inter alia, among other things, for instance, cela va sans dire, ex pede Herculem, noscitur a sociis, ne e quovis ligno Mercurius fiat, they are happy men whose natures sort with their v, The nail that sticks up hammered down, Tall poppy syndrome, Stick your neck out and it may get cut off.