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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of essays
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
My book Sprinkle Glitter on My Grave is all essays about my morbid family.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
Scholarship entrants must write essays about their lives and complete applications.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
The online magazine will publish content weekly, including profiles of artists and musicians, photo essays, reported features, and interviews.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 18 May 2026
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is running a series of guest essays this week about mental health in schools.
—Tiffany Gibson, AJC.com, 15 May 2026
Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
My book Sprinkle Glitter on My Grave is all essays about my morbid family.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
Scholarship entrants must write essays about their lives and complete applications.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
The online magazine will publish content weekly, including profiles of artists and musicians, photo essays, reported features, and interviews.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 18 May 2026
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is running a series of guest essays this week about mental health in schools.
—Tiffany Gibson, AJC.com, 15 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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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
-
Cuba Press, a news agency with six typewriters located in the house of the poet Raúl Rivero, managed to report on the national hangover, as did Habana Press, an agency directed by Joaquín Torres, who dictated his articles over the phone to the exiles running Cubanet and Radio Martí.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Noun
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After various attempts to get in contact with Jordan, Wendy, a LifeCare social worker, received a call from an unknown number.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
That includes bank levies or attempts to garnish non-exempt income.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Initial tests suggested the outbreak may not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which was responsible for Congo’s devastating 2018-2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Once there, the astronauts will attempt to dock the capsule with a lunar lander vehicle and perform a series of other tests designed to assess the agency’s readiness to attempt a human moon landing.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Slot is a good communicator who tries to properly answer every question, slipping in the occasional attempt at humour.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Din tries to simply hand the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, but this isn't an option.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 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
-
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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The project, called RoSA, short for Robot Scientific Assistant for Accelerating Experimental Workflows, aims to create robots capable of working alongside scientists in real laboratory environments while adapting to changing conditions and different types of experiments.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
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The discussions also emphasized real-world use and human need, forcing us to map our experiments around them.—
Tetiana Aleksandrova,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Anyone who’s seen enough adaptations knows the difference between one that strives to apprehend the source material and one that feels derived from a Wikipedia summary.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
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Accessibility Ocean Casino Resort strives to provide an accessible experience for all guests.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Supporting these endeavors is critical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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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,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Essays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essays. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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