samples 1 of 2

noun

plural of sample
1
as in samplings
a number of things selected from a group to stand for the whole based on a sample of the menu items, we decided that this was the best restaurant in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in examples
one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like this vase is a sample of the high-quality glassware that the glassblowers can produce

Synonyms & Similar Words

samples

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sample
as in tests
to put (something) to a test sampled the soup to see if it tasted good

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of samples
Noun
Scammers can lift voice samples from videos people casually post on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 Japan launched a $578 million mission Monday on a five-year expedition to land on the largest moon of Mars and retrieve samples for return to Earth, Ars reports. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026 From there, Dunckley and Rubano took the weave samples to Wētā sculptors, who would re-create the weave digitally on a scan of Skarsgård’s face and body. — Kirbie Johnson, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026 These arms will function in the assembly line, taking samples from a wall cabinet of elements from the entire periodic table, a statement from the university read. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 Video footage of the store’s opening showed customers waiting in a line snaking through the shopping plaza to enter the store, with shoppers trying samples and purchasing tote bags and snacks. — Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Both samples Yamaguchi bought online were consistent with a basic standard Galpin created for retatrutide, which isn't the same as the drug being studied in Eli Lilly's clinical trials. — Adam Yamaguchi, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Colorado marijuana businesses are free to collect their own samples submitted for testing. — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 Upload your own writing samples to train Voice Profiles that reflect your tone, vocabulary, and style. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
Cooke samples an absorbing range of hoaxes, from the college students who convinced the world that an imaginary Scotsman had invented the electric toaster to the Chinese housewife who fabricated an entire war out of boredom. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 The Weeknd has debuted an unreleased new song that samples one of the most iconic pieces of music in anime history, premiering the track live at the opening of the Asian leg of his After Hours Til Dawn tour. — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Sep. 2026 Pace Labs, which samples the park’s water weekly, retested the water that same day and is awaiting results Friday. — Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 16 July 2026 The museum could face up to $23 million in federal fines for not disclosing information about the hair samples sooner, although the government has seldom enforced such penalties. — News Desk, Artforum, 8 July 2026 For more precise information, Three Rivers Waterkeeper, a nonprofit that helps protect and restore the water quality of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers and their surrounding watersheds, samples the rivers and tributaries weekly each summer as part of its Swim Guide program. — Daniel Bain, The Conversation, 22 June 2026 In Procida, one of the Phlegraean Islands off the coast of Naples, Tucci samples a lemon salad. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 May 2026 Oklou shares the same melodic grace in her wandering arpeggios, and the spectral balearic timewarp of Torus’ Summer of Love samples Stockholm’s own Eric Prydz. — Nathan Evans, Pitchfork, 12 May 2026 Then, instead of measuring everything, the protocol samples only a small fraction of the copies. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for samples
  1. samplings
  2. examples
  3. tests
  4. selections
  5. specimens
Noun
  • The potential contamination was discovered during routine samplings in Washington and Florida, the recall stated, which then led to the agencies determining the risk for Listeria.
    — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2026
  • According to poll samplings by the Sentinel Star during Tuesday’s voting, McCollum appeared to benefit from the strong showing by Reagan.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of samplings
Noun
  • The world’s highest-profile tech billionaires offer the most conspicuous examples.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The original plan for 25 street-legal M6 GTs was eventually altered to 50 examples due to FIA requirements, but production never came to fruition, derailed by the 32-year-old McLaren’s death during testing at Goodwood in 1970.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of examples
Verb
  • As possibly the most thrilling option in the entire park, the free-fall station tests visitors’ bravery.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This week’s challenge tests your knowledge of distinctive objects that are connected to a particular novel, like the Maltese falcon or the One Ring.
    — J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of tests
Noun
  • The machines let voters make their selections on a touchscreen.
    — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Organic and build-your-own shakes, gourmet coffee and yerba selections, and artisanal teas and infusions also are offered.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of selections
Noun
  • Among them, despite the doctors’ suspicions, 80% did not turn out to have evidence of tumors in their specimens, says Cercek.
    — Alice Park, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Building on a legacy The mission to the Martian moons builds on Japan’s success in leading the Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2 missions, the world’s first two spacecraft to bring back pristine specimens from asteroids.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of specimens

Browse Nearby Words

samplers
samples
sampling
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Cite this Entry

“Samples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/samples. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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