a small part of something intended as representative of the whole
"The marketing team selected a few hundred customers from the database to serve as a sample for testing the new survey questions."
items selected at random from a population and used to test hypotheses about the population
"To determine if the new fertilizer increases crop yield, we will take a random sample of plots from across the entire field for testing."
all or part of a natural object that is collected and preserved as an example of its class
"The geologist carefully pressed the tiny rock sample into her collection to document the unique mineral formation found in the canyon."
A part or snippet of something taken or presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen.
"The doctor reviewed our SAMPLE history before deciding on the treatment plan for my sudden chest pain."
Initialism of signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, past pertinent history, last oral intake, events leading to present illness.
In plain English: A sample is a small part of something used to show what the whole thing is like.
"We tasted a free sample of the new ice cream flavor."
To take or to test a sample or samples of.
"The technician carefully sampled the water from several pipes to check for contamination."
In plain English: To sample something means to try a small amount of it first to see if you like it.
"The chef sampled the soup to check if the seasoning was right."
Usage: Use this verb when you physically extract, collect, or analyze a portion of something larger rather than the whole item. It is often confused with "specify," but while specifying means to define details clearly, sampling involves gathering representative data for testing.
A surname.
"When my grandmother asked for a sample, she was actually asking me to find out if anyone in our family uses that as their last name."
The word sample traveled into English from the Old French term essample, which originally meant "example." It entered through Middle English as a doublet of the more common word example.