This paper presents the stability analysis and control synthesis for a sampled-data control system which consists of a nonlinear plant and an output-feedback sampled-data polynomial controller connected in a closed loop. The output-feedback sampled-data polynomial controller, which can be implemented by a microcontroller or a digital computer, is proposed to stabilize the nonlinear plant. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, stability conditions in terms of sum of squares are obtained to guarantee the stability and to aid the design of a polynomial controller. A simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.