- 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
- The current study has a larger sample size than earlier studies.
- We studied a large population sample.
Extra Examples- Our sample comprised 250 catering workers.
- The research was based on samples from 29 populations.
- a random sample drawn from men aged 35–40
- The results are based on a sample of 100 people drawn from different areas and social classes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- small
- total
- …
- draw
- select
- comprise something
- consist of something
- size
- survey
- group
- …
- sample from
- sample of
- a small amount of a substance taken from a larger amount and tested in order to obtain information about the substance
- a blood/urine/tissue/DNA sample
- sample of something Samples of the water contained pesticide.
- A small sample of blood must be tested by a doctor.
- to collect/obtain/take a sample
- We analyzed samples from more than a dozen common tree species.
- Her sample contained traces of the banned steroid.
Collocations Scientific researchScientific 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/model
- 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
- fund/support the research/project/study
- seek/provide/get/secure funding for research
- 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
Extra ExamplesTopics Healthcareb2- All the athletes had to provide a urine sample.
- samples of tissue
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- blood
- faecal/fecal
- serum
- …
- collect
- obtain
- take
- …
- contain
- show
- sample of
- 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?
- We looked at sample books to choose the fabric.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- free
- book
- sample of
- (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.
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.
Check pronunciation:
sample