A swatch is a small sample of fabric or material that shows what the full piece looks like. When someone is choosing curtains for their living room, they might bring home several swatches: little squares of different fabrics they can hold up to the window to see which color and texture looks best. Interior designers carry books full of fabric swatches so clients can feel the material and see the color before ordering furniture.

The word comes from clothing and textile work, where tailors and dressmakers would keep swatches to show customers their fabric options. Today, paint stores give out swatches too: small painted cards you can tape to your wall to see how a color looks in your room's lighting before painting the whole thing.

You might also hear swatch used more broadly for any small representative sample. An artist might paint swatches of different greens to test which shade works best for tree leaves. The key idea is that a swatch gives you just enough of something to make a good decision without committing to the full amount.