sample

Pronunciation: /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/

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Definition of sample

noun

1a small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like:investigations involved analysing samples of handwriting
a small amount of a food or other commodity, especially one given to a prospective customer: samples of products for evaluation a free sample of chewing gum
a specimen taken for scientific testing or analysis:a urine sample
Statistics a portion drawn from a population, the study of which is intended to lead to statistical estimates of the attributes of the whole population: they shared these characteristics with other women in the sample a simple random sample of forty-five students

2a sound or piece of music created by sampling: piano samples

verb

[with object]

1take a sample or samples of (something) for analysis:bone marrow cells were sampled
try the qualities of (food or drink) by tasting it: it is a chance to sample probably the widest range of wines ever assembled
get a representative experience of:sample some entertaining nights out in Liverpool

2 Electronics ascertain the momentary value of (an analogue signal) many times a second so as to convert the signal to digital form: the input signal must be sampled at twice its highest frequency
record or extract (a small piece of music or sound) digitally for reuse as part of a composition or song:riffs sampled from other musicians (as noun sampling)sampling is bringing older music to younger ears

Origin:

Middle English (as a noun): from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old French essample 'example'. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 18th century

sample in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of sample in the US English dictionary

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Other

sample

noun

verb

Origin:

sample in other Oxford dictionaries

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