Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
sample (noun)1.
a representative part or a single item from a larger whole or group especially when presented for inspection or shown as evidence of quality - specimen
2.
a finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole
3.
an excerpt from a musical recording that is used in another artist's recording instance
transitive verb
1.
to take a sample of or from , especially to judge the quality of by a sample - test sampled his output for defects sample a wine
2.
to use a segment of (another's musical recording) as part of one's own recording
serving as an illustration or example - sample questions
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
sample (noun)1.
a number of things selected from a group to stand for the whole
SYNONIMS:
cross section, sampler, sampling, selection, sliceRELATED WORDS:
case, example, exemplar, exemplification, illustration, instance, representative, specimen; archetype, classic, locus classicus, paradigm, prototype; microcosm2.
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, signto put (something) to a test
SYNONIMS:
sample, testRELATED WORDS:
check (out), examine, experiment (with), explore, feel (out), investigate, research, study; resample, retest