sample
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈsɑːmpl/ us COMMERCE, MARKETING
a small amount of a substance, product, etc. that shows someone thinking of buying it what it is like:
a carpet/fabric/product sample
Write to us and we will send you a free sample.
MARKETING
a group of people chosen from a larger group, who give their opinions, answer questions, etc. in order to provide information about the whole group:
a sample of sth A sample of three HR Managers and 30 employees was selected and interviewed.
The marketing poll was conducted by telephone among a representative sample of 1,136 adults.
a large/small sample
a small amount of a substance or product that is tested to find out whether it is good, whether it contains a particular substance, etc.:
The investigation into tainted pet food has grown to include tests of 700 samples.
The next step will be to build a few dozen samples of each device and send them out for testing in both urban and rural settings.
See also
judgment sample
quota sample
random sample
sale by sample
sample
verb [ T ]
uk/ˈsɑːmpl/ us COMMERCE, MARKETING
to try a small amount of a product, or try a service for a short time, in order to see whether you want to buy it:
On a typical overseas tour, a buyer could sample 120 wines in a day.
They are recruiting 2,500 telephone customers to sample the service for 12 months.
MARKETING
to ask for the opinions of a number of people chosen from a group, in order to get information about the whole group:
The survey sampled 150 chief executives from both large and small companies.
to test a small amount of a substance or product to find out whether it is good, whether it contains a particular substance, etc.:
sample sth for sth Before the food can be sold to markets and stores, the FDA samples goods for defects.