I. sam ‧ ple 1 S3 W2 /ˈsɑːmp ə l $ ˈsæm-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: essample , from Latin exemplum ; ⇨ ↑ example ]
1 . a small part or amount of something that is examined in order to find out something about the whole
sample of
I’d like to see some samples of your work.
They took a blood sample to test for hepatitis.
2 . a small amount of a product that people can try in order to find out what it is like
sample of
samples of a new shampoo
3 . a small group of people who have been chosen from a larger group to give information or answers to questions:
The sample consisted of 98 secondary school teachers.
Out of a random sample of drivers, 21% had been in an accident in the previous year.
a nationally representative sample of over 950 elderly persons
4 . a small part of a song from a ↑ CD or record that is used in a new song:
Her latest album makes extensive use of samples from a wide range of acid jazz tracks.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ NOUN + sample
▪ a blood/urine/tissue etc sample
He compared the samples with a blood sample from Mr Green.
▪ a water/soil etc sample
They analysed soil samples collected from streams.
▪ a DNA sample
Archaeologists are studying DNA samples from ancient Egyptian mummies.
■ verbs
▪ take/collect a sample
The study took samples from workers at four nuclear plants.
▪ give/provide a sample
He said he had once fainted when giving a sample of blood.
▪ analyse/test a sample
All the samples were tested for bacteria.
II. sample 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to taste food or drink in order to see what it is like:
a chance to sample the local food
2 . to choose some people from a larger group in order to ask them questions or get information from them:
18% of the adults sampled admitted having had problems with alcohol abuse.
3 . to try an activity, go to a place etc in order to see what it is like:
Here’s your chance to sample the delights of country life.
4 . to use a small part of a song from a ↑ CD or record in a new song:
Many of his songs have been sampled by other artists.