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example

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follow the example of

To do something that another person is doing. Growing up, I really tried not to follow the example of my older brother, as he was always getting into trouble. I try to follow the example of Mother Teresa and treat all people with kindness.

See also: example, follow, of

Example is better than precept.

Prov. You will teach people more effectively by being a good example than you will by telling them what to do. Mother never lectured us; she just tried her best to be a good person, and we tried hard to be like her. She was living proof that example is better than precept.

See also: better, example

hold someone or something up as an example

Fig. to single out someone or something as a person or thing worthy of imitation. No one has ever held me up as an example. Jane held up Doris as an example. I hate to hold myself up as an example, but if you would do what I do, at least I wouldn't criticize you.

See also: example, hold, up

make an example of someone

to do something to someone that shows the bad results of bad behavior; to point to someone as a bad example. The judge said that he would make an example of Sally and would fine her the maximum amount. The teacher made an example of me to the class, with a detention on the first day of school.

See also: example, make, of

make an example of somebody

to punish someone for doing something so that other people will not do the same thing They want to make an example of him by keeping him in prison under very difficult conditions.

See also: example, make, of

for example

Also, for instance. As an illustration of something, as in Dress casually, in blue jeans, for example, or This program has problems-for instance, it's hard to retrieve lost data. The first expression, which dates from the late 1500s, is used throughout this book to illustrate how an idiom is used. The variant dates from the mid-1600s.

See also: example

make an example of

Punish someone so as to be a warning to others, as in The teacher made an example of the boy she caught cheating, or The judge imposed a tough sentence to make an example of the car thieves. This usage is first recorded in John Wycliffe's followers' translation of the Bible (c. 1382).

See also: example, make, of

set an example

Also, set a good or bad example . Behave in a way that should (or will) be imitated, as in Dad was always telling Bill to set a good example for his younger brother, or They were afraid of setting a bad example for the other nations. [Late 1700s]

See also: example, set

for example

As an illustrative instance: Wear something simple; for example, a skirt and blouse.

See also: example