Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
example (noun)1.
one that serves as a pattern to be imitated or not to be imitated - a good example a bad example
2.
a punishment inflicted on someone as a warning to others , also an individual so punished
3.
one (as an item or incident) that is representative of all of a group or type
4.
a parallel or closely similar case especially when serving as a precedent or model
5.
an instance (as a problem to be solved) serving to illustrate a rule or precept or to act as an exercise in the application of a rule instance, model
transitive verb
1.
to serve as an example of
2.
archaic to be or set an example to
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
example (noun)one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like
SYNONIMS:
case, exemplar, exemplification, illustration, instance, prototype, representative, sample, specimenRELATED WORDS:
archetype, classic, locus classicus, paradigm; cross section, microcosm; evidence, indication, manifestation, sign