- 1 a number of people or things taken from a larger group and used in tests to provide information about the group The interviews were given to a random sample of students. The survey covers a representative sample of schools. a sample survey Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivelarge, small, total, … verb + sampledraw, select sample + verbcomprise something, consist of something sample + nounsize, survey, group, … prepositionsample from, sample of See full entry
- 2 a small amount of a substance taken from a larger amount and tested in order to obtain information about the substance a blood sample Samples of the water contained pesticide. Wordfinderexaminebiopsy, diagnose, examine, sample, scan, swab, symptom, test, ultrasound, X-ray CollocationsScientific researchTheory formulate/advance a theory/hypothesis build/construct/create/develop a simple/theoretical/mathematical model develop/establish/provide/use a theoretical/conceptual framework advance/argue/develop the thesis that… explore an idea/a concept/a hypothesis make a prediction/an inference base a prediction/your calculations on something investigate/evaluate/accept/challenge/reject a theory/hypothesis/modelExperiment design an experiment/a questionnaire/a study/a test do research/an experiment/an analysis make observations/measurements/calculations carry out/conduct/perform an experiment/a test/a longitudinal study/observations/clinical trials run an experiment/a simulation/clinical trials repeat an experiment/a test/an analysis replicate a study/the results/the findings observe/study/examine/investigate/assess a pattern/a process/a behaviour/(especially US English) a behavior fund/support the research/project/study seek/provide/get/secure funding for researchResults collect/gather/extract data/information yield data/evidence/similar findings/the same results analyse/examine the data/soil samples/a specimen consider/compare/interpret the results/findings fit the data/model confirm/support/verify a prediction/a hypothesis/the results/the findings prove a conjecture/hypothesis/theorem draw/make/reach the same conclusions read/review the records/literature describe/report an experiment/a study present/publish/summarize the results/findings present/publish/read/review/cite a paper in a scientific journal Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveblood, faecal/fecal, serum, … verb + samplecollect, obtain, take, … sample + verbcontain, show prepositionsample of See full entry See related entries: Medical examinations
- 3 a small amount or example of something that can be looked at or tried to see what it is like ‘I'd like to see a sample of your work,’ said the manager. a free sample of shampoo Would you like a sample of the fabric to take home? Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefree sample + nounbook prepositionsample of See full entry See related entries: Shopping in stores
- 4(specialist) a piece of recorded music or sound that is used in a new piece of music ‘Candy’ includes a swirling sample from a Walker Brothers song. See related entries: Producing music Word OriginMiddle English (as a noun): from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old French essample ‘example’. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 18th cent.Extra examples All the athletes had to provide a urine sample. I’d like to see a sample of your work. Our sample comprised 250 catering workers. The research was based on samples from 29 populations. They’re giving out free samples of the new toothpaste. We looked at sample books to choose the fabric. a random sample drawn from men aged 35–40 a wide sample of people samples of tissue The results are based on a sample of 100 people drawn from different areas and social classes.
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BrE BrE//ˈsɑːmpl//; NAmE NAmE//ˈsæmpl//
Producing music, Shopping in stores, Medical examinationsCheck pronunciation: sample
