essay

1 a short piece of writing typically expressing a point of view school essays on what it means to be a patriot Synonyms article, composition, paper, theme Related Words causerie; column, commentary, editorial, feature, report, review, write-up; dissertation, thesis; tract, treatise; discourse, discussion, exposition, prolegomenon, study

2 an effort to do or accomplish something my first essay at baking a cake did not go well Synonyms assay [archaic], bash [chiefly British], bid, crack, endeavor, attempt, fling, go, offer, pass, shot, stab, trial, try, whack, whirlRelated Words striving, struggle, throes, undertaking; trial and error

3 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 Synonyms experiment, experimentation, test, trialRelated Words trial and error; dry run, shakedown; exercise, practice (also practise), rehearsal, tryout, workout; crucible, ordeal; attempt, effort, try