The SAMP element is one of a large group of elements that the HTML 4.0 recommendation calls phrase elements. Such elements assign structural meaning to a designated portion of the document. A SAMP element is one that contains text that is sample output from a computer program or script. This is different from a code example, which is covered by the CODE element.

Browsers have free rein to determine how (or whether) to distinguish SAMP element content from the rest of the BODY element. Both Navigator and Internet Explorer elect to render the text in monospace font. This can be overridden with a style sheet as you see fit.