essay
noun
a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
essays
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pluralof essay.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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present tense formof essay (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
Next month, Counterpoint Press will posthumously release “Dispatches From Rural America,” a collection of 15 essays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Instead, long stretches of the book read like disparate essays on donnish life, fads and internecine disagreements, strung together in a sequence that never coheres.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
The justices have been writing essays about the problem for a decade while the seizures continue.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
In two essays published shortly before his Makerfield campaign, Haigh set out a vision for a radical reshaping of the British state.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
What were they supposed to tell the record numbers of applicants who had been rejected—the ones with straight As, enthusiastic recommendations, polished essays, and long lists of activities?
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
