essay
noun
a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
essayed
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past participleof essay.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof essay.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
essaynouna short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the second cast, Christine Shevchenko fell far short of Ms. Teuscher’s finesse, but she essayed the opening “Preghiera” movement with more of its requisite lilt and shimmer than Ms. Teuscher did.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
That section essayed — at the very least — to disqualify from federal office the Civil War rebels and, prospectively, anyone who tried to do the same thing again.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2023
Meanwhile, dos Santos — with an army of around 100,000 troops, many with years of jungle combat experience — essayed a role as a regional power broker, starting with neighboring countries.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 8, 2022
The movie also gives a funny account of the composer-guitarist Pat Metheny’s enraged accusations of “musical necrophilia” after Kenny G essayed a virtual duet with Louis Armstrong.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2021
"You got to go, Ralph. You go away now-" He wagged his spear and essayed fierceness.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
