1
as in analysis
the separation and identification of the parts of a whole
a metallurgist did an assay on the metal and determined it contained nickel
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1
as in to analyze
to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships
the company assayed a sample of the rock to see if it contained gold in quantities worth mining
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2
as in to attempt
to make an effort to do
assaying the task of writing his autobiography
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Examples of assay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Megan Molteni, STAT, 22 May 2024
Johnson said that if the assay had been in widespread use earlier this year, the spread of bird flu through the nation’s dairy herds could conceivably have been stopped, or at least slowed down.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
So, the authors ran a series of enzymatic assays to determine how much different red wine flavonoids inhibited ALDH2.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for assay 
Noun
The assay sat unused until this spring, when unusually high influenza A activity began lighting up their dashboard in the Texas panhandle — the same region where the first cases of H5N1 in dairy cattle were confirmed on March 25.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 22 May 2024
Johnson said that if the assay had been in widespread use earlier this year, the spread of bird flu through the nation’s dairy herds could conceivably have been stopped, or at least slowed down.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Verb
Then the curtains will close on Morgan’s particular view of this famously inscrutable family, assayed by so many indelible actors.
—Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
So, the authors ran a series of enzymatic assays to determine how much different red wine flavonoids inhibited ALDH2.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for assay
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Assay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assay. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.
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