Meaning & use
essay
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Meanings
nouncountable
A piece of nonfiction writing, usually of moderate length, in which an author develops an argument or explores a subject.
Grammar: Has a plural: she wrote three essays this term.
Patterns
- an essay on something
- an essay about something
- write an essay
Our teacher asked us to hand in an essay on climate policy by Friday.
He published a thoughtful essay about growing up in a small town.
The best essay in the competition won a scholarship.
verbtransitiveformalliteraryrare
To make an attempt at something that is hard or uncertain.
Grammar: Takes an object: essay a new approach.
Patterns
- essay something
- essay to do something
The young pianist essayed a difficult sonata at the recital.
They essayed a crossing of the frozen lake at dawn.
She essayed a smile, though she was nervous.
Word forms
| plural | essays |
|---|---|
| third person singular | essays |
| past tense | essayed |
| -ing form | essaying |
Common combinations
- write an essay
- I stayed up late to write an essay for my history class.
- essay question
- The exam has one essay question and ten short ones.
- argumentative essay
- An argumentative essay must defend a clear position.
- submit an essay
- Students must submit the essay online before midnight.
- personal essay
- Her personal essay about moving abroad went viral.
Synonyms and how they differ
- composition
- Composition is a common school word for a short piece of writing, while essay suggests a more argued or reflective text.
- article
- An article appears in a newspaper or journal and usually reports or informs, whereas an essay stresses the writer's own view.
- paper
- Paper is the usual term at university for a longer, researched piece, and it sounds more academic than essay.
- attempt
- Attempt is the everyday word for the verb sense and works in any register, while essay is stiff and bookish.
Word family
Commonly confused: essay or assay?
essay vs assay
Assay means to test a metal or ore for its content, and it is sometimes a spelling mix-up with essay in the sense of trying.
Practice
Which sentence uses essay as a verb meaning 'attempt'?
Choose one answer.
Only the first sentence uses essay as a verb meaning to try something; the others use the noun for a piece of writing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “essay”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.