essay

American  

[es-ey, es-ey, e-sey, e-sey] / ˈɛs eɪ, ˈɛs eɪ, ɛˈseɪ, ɛˈseɪ /

noun

1. a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

2. anything resembling such a composition.

   a picture essay.

3. an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.

4. Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.

5. Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

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verb (used with object)

1. to try; attempt.

2. to put to the test; make trial of.

essay British  

noun

1. a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively

2. an attempt or endeavour; effort

3. a test or trial

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verb

1. to attempt or endeavour; try

2. to test or try out

essay Cultural  

1. A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne, Francis Bacon (see also Bacon), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

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Other Word Forms

• essayer noun
• preessay verb (used without object)
• unessayed adjective
• well-essayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of essay

First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French essayer, from Late Latin exagium “a weighing,” from exag(ere) (unrecorded) “to examine, test,” literally, “to drive out, thrust out” (from Latin exigere; exact ) + -ium -ium

Explanation

A composition that is usually short and has a literary theme is called an essay. You should probably start writing your essay on "To Kill a Mockingbird" sometime before the bus ride to school the day it is due. As a noun, an essay is also an attempt, especially a tentative initial one. Your essay to make friends at your new school would probably work better if you actually spoke to other students. As a verb, to essay is to make an attempt. If you essay to run for student council, you might lose to the girl who promises more recess, longer lunches, and less homework.

Example Sentences

This essay is adapted from his new book, “Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult,” to be published by Knopf on April 14.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Bambaataa, often named alongside DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash as a founder of hip-hop, concerned himself with community-building after a prize trip to Africa for an essay competition in 1974 shifted his worldview.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Then came his 1849 essay, later read by people like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Or maybe not so incipiently, according to maritime analyst John Konrad, in his widely read essay partly titled, “What If the U.S. Navy isn’t in a Hurry to Reopen the Strait?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

He stuffs the essay into his satchel and heads home.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• article
• discussion
• dissertation
• manuscript
• paper
• piece
• study
• thesis
• treatise