sample
verb/noun/ˈsæmpəl/
🔊 listen
To sample is to take a piece of an existing recording and reuse it in a new track. The sample itself is that borrowed audio clip — a core technique in hip-hop and electronic music.
📖 Meanings
1a small amount of something given for free to try
"Would you like a free sample of this cheese?" — Would you like a free sample of this cheese?
2To take a portion of an existing recording and reuse it in a new song
"They sampled an old jazz record for this beat." — (used as a verb: the act of borrowing audio)
3The audio clip itself — the portion taken from another track
"The sample is from a 1970s soul track." — (used as a noun: the borrowed piece)
🔄 Related terms
💬 Common phrases
clear a sampleflip a samplechop the samplesample-based production
❓ What does it mean to 'sample' a song?