1
as in articles
a short piece of writing typically expressing a point of view
school essays on what it means to be a patriot
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2
3
as in tests
a procedure or operation carried out to resolve an uncertainty
a little homemade essay to determine the easiest way to strip the paint from the bookcase
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as in tries
to make an effort to do
he had been in gymnastics for some time before he even considered essaying that move
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Recent Examples of essays
Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
Stacy Arp, an Oak Forest Police Department dispatcher who helped gather the applications and essays, said most members of the Oak Forest Police Association voted for the two students.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Since its launch in 2014, The Players’ Tribune has published more than two dozen athlete essays about mental health, including testimonials from NBA player John Wall and WNBA star A'ja Wilson.
—Scott Parrott, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
The essays explored everything from judicial review to foreign policy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026
The researchers divided people into three groups, and asked them to write essays using either ChatGPT, Google’s search engine, or their own brains.
—Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
In the 1760s and ’70s, these two men collaborated with a secret radical network to counter the King—laying out the case for the restoration of British liberties in a series of newspaper essays under the pen name Junius.
—Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Within a sprawling œuvre—more than a dozen books of poetry, fiction, and essays—the act of writing itself is often the main character.
—David O’Neill, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Both essays promote white nationalism and express a hatred for immigrants, racial minorities and others, as well as anger toward women who prefer taller men, according to sources.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Her essays and criticism have appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New Republic, and more.
—Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
Stacy Arp, an Oak Forest Police Department dispatcher who helped gather the applications and essays, said most members of the Oak Forest Police Association voted for the two students.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Since its launch in 2014, The Players’ Tribune has published more than two dozen athlete essays about mental health, including testimonials from NBA player John Wall and WNBA star A'ja Wilson.
—Scott Parrott, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
The essays explored everything from judicial review to foreign policy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026
The researchers divided people into three groups, and asked them to write essays using either ChatGPT, Google’s search engine, or their own brains.
—Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
In the 1760s and ’70s, these two men collaborated with a secret radical network to counter the King—laying out the case for the restoration of British liberties in a series of newspaper essays under the pen name Junius.
—Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Within a sprawling œuvre—more than a dozen books of poetry, fiction, and essays—the act of writing itself is often the main character.
—David O’Neill, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Both essays promote white nationalism and express a hatred for immigrants, racial minorities and others, as well as anger toward women who prefer taller men, according to sources.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Verb
In the film, Bajpayee plays the police officer while Jim Sarbh essays the role of the killer who goes by the fictional name Carl Bhojraj.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for essays
Noun
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The articles included allegations of abuse of office, bribery and misuse of taxpayer funds, but Paxton was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
His firm, Kroll, fields impersonation attempts constantly — fake emails, fake invoices, fake voices purporting to be him.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
-
Years of unrelenting pressure—smear campaigns, interrogations, arrests, a violent raid, and underhanded attempts at control—had succeeded in breaking it.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Noun
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He was taken to the emergency room at a local hospital, where tests revealed a golf ball-sized tumor in his brain.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Nuclear weapons were state programmes with identifiable facilities and verifiable tests.—
Shlomit Wagman,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Create laws that will bring down the hammer on any AI maker that tries to engage in this form of deception.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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The very growth that comes from success can lead to consistent cash shortages as a company tries to scale its inventory, shipping channels, advertising and so on.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Does this mean those pop-goes-punk comp albums are coming back?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
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Except then there’s the chance of being FUNNELED, placed on the rails and headed for a very specific destination, instead of the OPEN-WORLD anything-goes of traditional D&D.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Evolution had billions of years to run its experiments, though, and the AI industry is running them in quarters.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
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This is the culmination of Yesterdayneverhappened’s silver-handed experiments throughout search bar.—
Tatiana Lee Rodriguez,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Verb
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In a world of jaded billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, bio-hacked tech bros, AI labs, and disillusioned teens being optimized in elite private schools, an audacious data-mining CEO (Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
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Denver Fringe strives to make the arts accessible to all, with tickets priced at $20 each for most shows.—
Laura Daily,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Noun
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There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors, too.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Those could be be relationships, creative endeavors and the contemplation of big questions about life.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Essays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essays. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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