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example

[ ig-zam-puhl, -zahm- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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: ,
a pattern or model, as of something to be imitated or avoided:
to set a good example.
Synonyms: , , , , , , , ,
an instance serving for illustration; a representative case:
The case histories gave carefully detailed examples of this disease.
Synonyms: , , , , , ,
an instance illustrating a rule or method, as a mathematical problem proposed for solution.
an instance, especially of punishment, serving as a warning to others:
Public executions were meant to be examples to the populace.
a precedent; parallel case:
an action without example.

verb (used with object)

exampled, exampling.

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

example

/ ɪɡˈ��ɑː��ə�� /

noun

a specimen or instance that is typical of the group or set of which it forms part; sample
a person, action, thing, etc, that is worthy of imitation; pattern
you must set an example to the younger children
a precedent, illustration of a principle, or model
an example in a maths book
a punishment or the recipient of a punishment serving or intended to serve as a warning
the headmaster made an example of him
for example
as an illustration; for instance

verb

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

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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

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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

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Idioms and Phrases

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

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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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

For example, Brazil could increase agricultural exports to China to replace previous US supplies.

From

The Vatican foreign minister described the Pope's ability to scythe through difficult subjects with clarity, reminding officials, for example, to remember migrants as human beings and not just "numbers" in their discussions about them.

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"He gave such a great example to the world," she reminisced.

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"The appalling example this episode sets to others needs no emphasis from me."

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And in the Simpsons neuron case, for example, it was just a subset of neurons in the medial temporal lobe that behaved with extreme specificity to enable patients to quickly grasp the relevant concept.

From

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

examinership exanimate

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