example

[ ig-zam-puhl, -zahm- ]

noun

1. one of a number of things, or a part of something, taken to show the character of the whole:

   This painting is an example of his early work.

   Synonyms: specimen, sample

2. a pattern or model, as of something to be imitated or avoided:

   to set a good example.

   Synonyms: lead, precedent, template, standard, pattern, paradigm, model, ideal, exemplar

3. an instance serving for illustration; a representative case:

   The case histories gave carefully detailed examples of this disease.

   Synonyms: representative, prototype, instance, illustration, exemplification, exemplar, case

4. an instance illustrating a rule or method, as a mathematical problem proposed for solution.
5. an instance, especially of punishment, serving as a warning to others:

   Public executions were meant to be examples to the populace.

6. a precedent; parallel case:

   an action without example.

verb (used with object)

, ex·am·pled, ex·am·pling.

1. Rare. to give or be an example of; exemplify (used in the passive).

example

/ ɪɡˈzɑːmpəl /

noun

1. a specimen or instance that is typical of the group or set of which it forms part; sample
2. a person, action, thing, etc, that is worthy of imitation; pattern

   you must set an example to the younger children

3. a precedent, illustration of a principle, or model

   an example in a maths book

4. a punishment or the recipient of a punishment serving or intended to serve as a warning

   the headmaster made an example of him

5. for example
   as an illustration; for instance

verb

1. tr; now usually passive to present an example of; exemplify

Word History and Origins

Origin of example¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English exa(u)mple, from Middle French example, from Latin exemplum, akin to eximere “to take out,” from ex- ex- ¹ + emere “to buy,” originally “to take”; replacing Middle English exemple, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of example¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin exemplum pattern, from eximere to take out, from ex- ¹+ emere to purchase

Idioms and Phrases

see for example ; make an example of ; set an example .

Synonym Study

Example, sample, specimen refer to an individual phenomenon taken as representative of a type, or to a part representative of the whole. Example is used of an object, condition, etc., that is assumed to illustrate a certain principle or standard: a good example of baroque architecture. Sample refers to a small portion of a substance or to a single representative of a group or type that is intended to show what the rest of the substance or the group is like: a sample of yarn. Specimen usually suggests that the “sample” chosen is intended to serve a scientific or technical purpose: a blood specimen; zoological specimens. See ideal. See case ¹.

Example Sentences

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for example, wasn’t sold on Gaetz as of Wednesday morning: “I’ll have to think about that one,” he told CNN.

From Salon

The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, for example, only has 7% of its assets in listed equities, compared with 60% for traditional pension funds.

From BBC

For example, the Federal Communications Commission denied SpaceX nearly $900 million in federal subsidies to provide rural broadband access through its Starlink satellite network.

From Los Angeles Times

For example, Trump, who tempered criticism of electric vehicles after Musk backed him, might end a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times

For example, when China banned TV shows depicting same-sex kissing or hand-holding in 2016, producers found they could use shots of eye contact between characters to communicate intimacy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• case
• illustration
• lesson
• object
• part
• pattern
• precedent
• symbol