assays 1 of 2

noun

plural of assay
1
as in analyses
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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Relevance

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2
as in attempts
archaic an effort to do or accomplish something the poem about a frustrated man's last assay at greatness

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assays

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of assay
1
as in analyzes
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 tries
to make an effort to do assaying the task of writing his autobiography

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assays
Noun
Standard assays for measuring plastic breakdown are exceptionally slow because solid PET plastic resists dissolution, stretching testing timelines across several days. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026 One study evaluated the anticancer potential of citrus peels on in vitro (test tube) assays and in vivo (living organism) cancer models. — Kathi Valeii, Verywell Health, 6 Aug. 2026 The GeneXpert assays routinely used during Ebola responses were developed primarily to detect Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV), the species responsible for the devastating West African epidemic of 2014-2016 and most subsequent Ebola outbreaks. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 1 July 2026 To work around these limitations, epidemiologists in the field have turned to broader-spectrum diagnostic kits and alternative rapid assays, though shortages of testing supplies and the logistical difficulties of operating in remote outbreak regions continue to hamper response efforts. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 May 2026 So, as long as your tests involve one of the assays that Finch can handle, then there’s an additional step that can be performed by the system. — ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026 Having completed space vacuum and temperature tests, the observatory only has a few assays left. — Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026 Common testing methods include reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, viral culture and immunofluorescence assays. — Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026 But while most of that capital flows into drug discovery, the white space is in clinical infrastructure—where predictive assays can shift spend from catastrophic claims to actuarial foresight. — Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assays
  1. analyses
  2. attempts
  3. analyzes
  4. tries
  5. investigations
  6. goes
  7. dissects
  8. strives
Noun
  • County and regional leaders can use and are using the insights from the economic analyses to inform decision-making across industries, including planning and development.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • After taking down such accounts, companies would write reports and researchers (including us) would publish analyses to explain the evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures of online influence campaigns.
    — RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of analyses
Noun
  • Trump’s attempts to fire Cook from the Fed’s seven-member board of governors represent the first time in the central bank’s 113-year history that a president has sought to remove a Fed governor.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • If anything, Trump’s escalating attempts to strong-arm people into a supposedly nicer term for AI makes him — and the industry itself — look awfully weak.
    — Adi Robertson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of attempts
Verb
  • The labor economist analyzes the impact of AI on jobs and the economy, as well as the role of education in preparing the workforce for the future.
    — Washington Post staff, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Now, Instagram’s AI search engine analyzes the full context of a post, including the caption and the keywords in comments, to understand what a piece of content is about and who should see it.
    — Tonia Ryan, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of analyzes
Verb
  • This isn’t one of those stories in which the protagonist desperately tries to convince everyone they’re being pursued by some kind of demon from beyond that no one else can see.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Part of how the show tries to earn it is through the entrances.
    — Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tries
Noun
  • With many in the party pushing for investigations of potential malfeasance by the administration, party leaders will face tough choices about consequences if those probes do turn up wrongdoing.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • During the same briefing, the administration also announced investigations into nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, over alleged misuse of exchange-visitor visas.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of investigations
Noun
  • The first phase of the railway that the Colorado Connector (CoCo) will make trips on goes from Denver up to Boulder, on to Fort Collins.
    — Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • Does this mean those pop-goes-punk comp albums are coming back?
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of goes
Verb
  • Julie Nolke, a viral YouTube star who comedically dissects the anxieties and foibles of Millennial woman, is creating a new series for the service.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Ward dissects the Black experience in America, reflects on her own experience as a young Black girl growing up in poverty in southern Mississippi, lauds the writers who influenced her, and examines her own motivations as a writer.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of dissects
Verb
  • Katie strives to use catering companies that adhere to the teachings of the Make America Healthy Again movement, one regular guest says, which encourages the consumption of raw milk and the avoidance of seed oils.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Duplan strives to make individual rooms part of his music, regardless of location.
    — William Jones, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of strives

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Cite this Entry

“Assays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assays. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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