What does exampling mean?
Exampling is the present participle of the verb 'example', meaning to illustrate or demonstrate something by supplying instances of it, or to stand as an example of it oneself. The verb itself dates back centuries, when English writers freely turned nouns into verbs, and 'example' could do the work that 'exemplify' does today. Over time, however, 'exemplify' became the dominant choice, leaving 'exampling' as a rare and markedly old-fashioned form. A modern reader is far more likely to meet it in historical prose or in deliberately archaic style than in everyday conversation. When it does appear, it carries a formal, slightly literary tone: one might speak of a teacher exampling a principle with stories, or a leader exampling integrity through conduct. The word derives from the same Latin root, exemplum ('a sample or pattern'), that gives us exemplary, exemplar, and sample. For anyone aiming at precision, the practical advice is simple: recognize 'exampling' when you see it, but reach for 'exemplifying' when you write it.
To illustrate or demonstrate something by providing examples; to serve as a typical instance of something.
"He lectured for an hour, exampling every abstract claim with vivid anecdotes from the field."
Rare in modern English; 'exemplifying' is the conventional contemporary choice.
The gerund form denoting the action or practice of illustrating by example.
"Good teaching depends less on lecturing than on careful exampling."
As a gerund noun, this form is even rarer than the verbal participle and reads as distinctly archaic.
The plural applies only to the gerund noun sense and is exceedingly rare; it refers to individual acts or instances of illustrating by example.
"The manuscript preserves many examplings of moral virtue drawn from classical history."
Before 'exemplify' stole the spotlight, English speakers simply said 'example' as a verb — and 'exampling' is what that looked like in action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exampling
Exampling comes from the verb 'example', formed from the noun 'example', which entered Middle English via Old French from the Latin 'exemplum', meaning a sample, pattern, or instance. Latin 'exemplum' itself derives from 'eximere', to take out, hence something taken out as representative. The same Latin root produced a family of English words including 'exemplary', 'exemplar', and 'exemplify', and, through Old French 'essample', the word 'sample'. The verb use of 'example', and with it the participle 'exampling', has largely fallen out of favor since around the seventeenth century, displaced by 'exemplify'.
Related word forms
How exampling is actually used
This form is distinctly literary or archaic in flavor. In contemporary writing and speech, native speakers overwhelmingly choose 'exemplifying', 'illustrating', or 'showing by example'. Encountering 'exampling' usually signals either historical text or deliberate stylistic archaism, so it should be used with awareness of its dated register.
Easily confused with exampling
'Exemplifying' is the standard modern participle meaning to illustrate by example, while 'exampling' is an older, now rare alternative formed directly from the verb 'example'.
'Exempting' means freeing someone from an obligation or duty, whereas 'exampling' means illustrating something through an example.