essay

noun es·say \ ˈe-ˌsā ; senses 2, 3 & 4 also e-ˈsā \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Definition of essay

1 a : an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view

b : something resembling such a composition

a photographic essay

2 a : effort, attempt; especially : an initial tentative effort

b : the result or product of an attempt

3 : a proof of an unaccepted design for a stamp or piece of paper money

4 obsolete : trial, test

See essay defined for English-language learners

Examples of essay in a Sentence

Your assignment is to write a 500-word essay on one of Shakespeare's sonnets.
The book is a collection of his previously unpublished essays on a variety of topics.

Recent Examples of essay from the Web

More than a century later, a 19-year-old teacher in Wisconsin did a simple thing, according to the National Flag Day Foundation, putting a small American flag in a bottle on his desk and asked his students to write an essay about it.

— The Aegis, "Our flag [Editorial]," 13 June 2018
Food writer Helen Rosner spoke to the effect Argento had on Bourdain’s perspective in an essay for the same publication.

— Vanities, "Rose McGowan Defends “Pillar of Strength” Asia Argento in Open Letter," 11 June 2018
John Ioannidis, a Stanford medical school professor who specializes in scientific methods, wrote in an essay in the journal PLoS Medicine.

— eric roston, Bloomberg.com, "EPA Plan for Transparency in Science Alarms Industry, Too," 6 June 2018
From last week: Donovan Mitchell recapped his spectacular rookie season with an essay.

— gentry estes, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville football one of the nation's biggest underdogs in Week 1," 4 June 2018
In an essay on the royal engagement at Allure, Wade mentions Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland and Princess Keisha Omilana of Nigeria, as well as Ariana Austin, a black American woman who married into the Ethiopian royal family.

— anna north, Vox, "For many feminists, Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry is — like so many weddings — a mixed bag.," 15 May 2018
Meghan Markle wrote about the experience in an essay for Elle.

— lena grossman, Time, "The Most Over-the-Top Moments from Lifetime's Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance," 14 May 2018
That's what mother of three Jamie Sumner wrote in an essay on Wednesday for the website Her View From Home.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "This Ad Made a Mom Cry at Target—Here's Why It's a Major Step for Kids With Disabilities," 26 Apr. 2018
This month will mark five years since Collins became the first openly gay player to come out while competing for one of the four major professional leagues, doing so in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Jason Collins headlines panel as Phoenix Suns host team's first Pride Night," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'essay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of essay

Middle French essai, ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

essay Synonyms

Synonyms

attempt, bid, crack, endeavor, fling, go, offer, pass, shot, stab, trial, try, whack, whirl;

trial and error;

essay

verb es·say \ e-ˈsā , ə-ˈsā , ˈe-ˌsā \

Definition of essay

transitive verb

1 : to make an often tentative or experimental effort to perform : try

2 : to put to a test

—

essayer

noun

See essay defined for English-language learners

See essay defined for kids

Examples of essay in a Sentence

There is no hint as to which of the approaches essayed in this book will prove most useful.
he had been in gymnastics for some time before he even considered essaying that move