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# sample

noun (a sample, samples); verb (sample, samples, sampled, sampling)

«sample» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A sample is a small amount or part of something that shows what the rest is like. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#m1)
2. A free sample is a small amount of a product given to try. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#m2)
3. In science and maths, a sample is a group chosen from a larger group to be tested or studied. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#m3)
4. To sample means to try or taste a little of something. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#m4)
5. In music, a sample is a short piece of sound reused in a new song. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#m5)

### In the lessons

Science: take a soil, water or leaf sample; doctors take blood samples. Maths and statistics: survey a sample of pupils to learn about the whole school — a bigger, random sample is fairer. Everyday life: free samples in shops; sample food at a market. Phrases: a sample of, free sample, blood sample, take a sample, sample size.

### Examples

- We took a sample of pond water to look at under the microscope. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x1)
- The shop gave out free samples of cheese. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x2)
- The nurse took a blood sample. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x3)
- We asked a sample of 30 pupils about their favourite fruit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x4)
- Would you like to sample the soup? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x5)
- Here is a sample of my best handwriting. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x6)
- A bigger sample gives a more reliable result. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x7)
- Nobody doubted but the Fairy gave herein a sample of her art, that the Princess, while she continued sleeping, might have nothing to fear from any curious people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/#x8)

### Note

Countable: a sample, samples. Verb past: sampled. In maths: results from a sample are only an estimate for the whole group — if 10 of 30 pupils in the sample like apples, about one third of the school might. A sample that is too small or not random can mislead.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sample» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sample/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sample» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sample.html) on Mova free.