specimen
noun
spec·i·men
ˈspe-sə-mən 
ˈspes-mən
1
a
: an individual, item, or part considered typical of a group, class, or whole
b
: a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study
a urine specimen
2
a
: something that obviously belongs to a particular category but is noticed by reason of an individual distinguishing characteristic
b
: person, individual
he's a tough specimen
3
: a plant grown for exhibition or in the open to display its full development
specimen trees
Examples of specimen in a Sentence
The church is a magnificent specimen of baroque architecture.
Her dance partner is a superb physical specimen.
Recent Examples on the Web
The warning required immediate action by Orange County Global, which contracted with a vendor that same day to process the untested specimens.
—
Scott Schwebke, Oc Register, 12 July 2025
The collection of specimens is kept at the Beckman Center for Conservation Research near the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2025
The kit includes slides of various specimens, six rocks and minerals, and blank slides for kids to prepare their samples.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025
But part of being a tree museum is to have the trees and the specimens for people to love and enjoy and learn from.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for specimen
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Scott Schwebke, Oc Register, 12 July 2025
The collection of specimens is kept at the Beckman Center for Conservation Research near the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2025
The kit includes slides of various specimens, six rocks and minerals, and blank slides for kids to prepare their samples.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025
But part of being a tree museum is to have the trees and the specimens for people to love and enjoy and learn from.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for specimen
Cite this Entry
“Specimen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/specimen. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
specimen
noun
spec·i·men
ˈspes-(ə-)mən
1
: a part or a single thing that shows what the whole thing or group is like : sample
2
: a portion of material for use in testing or examination
a blood specimen
3
: person sense 1, individual
he's a tough specimen
Medical Definition
specimen
noun
spec·i·men
ˈspes-(ə-)mən
1
: an individual, item, or part typical of a group, class, or whole
2
: a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study
a urine specimen
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