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Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

• composition

attempt , try , endeavor , essay , strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

Examples of essay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French essai , ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing essay

• essay question
• photo - essay

Articles Related to essay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

Dictionary Entries Near essay

Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of essay.

Kids Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on essay

Nglish: Translation of essay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of essay for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essay

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How To Spell essay ?

How to pronounce essay.

Correct pronunciation for the word "essay" is [ˈɛse͡ɪ], [ˈɛse‍ɪ], [ˈɛ_s_eɪ].

Definition of essay

To try; to attempt; to make experiment of.

An effort made for the performance of anything; trial; a test; a composition in brief informal treatment of some subject.

Nuttall's Standard dictionary of the English language By Nuttall, P.Austin

What are the misspellings for essay?

What are similar-sounding words for essay, what is the present tense of essay.

• The personal forms of the verb " essay " in the present tense include:
• - you essay
• - he/she/it essays
• - they essay

What is the past tense of Essay?

• The personal forms of the verb "to essay " in the past tense are as follows:
• - I essayed
• - You essayed
• - He essayed
• - She essayed
• - It essayed
• - We essayed
• - They essayed

What is the adverb for essay?

The adverb for the word "essay" is "essayedly" .

What is the adjective for essay?

The adjective form of the word "essay" is "essayistic" .

Usage over time for essay:

This graph shows how "essay" have occurred between 1800 and 2008 in a corpus of English books.

What is the plural form of essay?

The plural of the "essay" can be the " essays ".

What is the singular form of essay?

The singular of the "essay" can be the "essay".

Synonyms for Essay:

• enucleation
• explication
• disquisition
• composition
• examination
• interpolation
• consideration
• dissertation
• coping with
• do one's best

Nearby words

• Correct spelling for essay [Infographic] | Spellchecker.net
• essay - English spelling dictionary
• Essay | Definition of essay by Merriam-Webster
• Essay definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
• Essay | Definition of essay at Dictionary.com
• Essay dictionary definition | essay defined

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Definition: Essay

• 1 Etymology 1
• 2.1 Derived terms
• 2.2 Related terms
• 3 Etymology 2

Etymology 1

Since late sixteenth century, borrowed from Middle French essay , essai (essay), meaning coined by Montaigne in the same time, from the same words in earlier meanings "experiment, assay, attempt," from Old French essay , essai , assay , assai , from Latin exagium (weight, weighing, testing on the balance), from exigere + -ium .

essay (plural essays )

• A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject.
• A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.

Derived terms

• essay question
• photo essay

Related terms

Etymology 2.

From Middle French essayer , essaier , from Old French essaiier , essayer , essaier , assaiier , assayer , assaier , from essay , essai , assay , assai (attempt, assay, experiment) as above.

essay (third-person singular simple present essays , present participle essaying , simple past and past participle essayed )

• To move forth, as into battle.

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards . This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:

• essay   history

essay in English dictionary

Meanings and definitions of "essay".

• A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject.
• (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
• (now rare) An attempt.
• (dated, transitive) To try.
• (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
• noun A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject.
• noun (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
• noun (now rare) An attempt.
• verb (dated, transitive) To try.
• verb (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
• Short disquisition about a theme.
• written composition
• noun an analytic or interpretive literary composition
• noun a tentative attempt
• verb make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"
• verb put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"

Synonyms of "essay" in English dictionary

evaluate, attempt, test are the top synonyms of "essay" in English thesaurus.

• evaluate · attempt · test · prove · assay · writing · examine · endeavour · seek · pass judgment · written material · piece of writing · effort · try out · endeavor · judge · try · move · act

make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"

put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"

Grammar and declension of essay

• essay ( third-person singular simple present essays , present participle essaying , simple past and past participle essayed )
• essay ( plural   essays )
• essay ( plural essays )

Sample sentences with " essay "

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Definition of essay noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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• essay (noun)
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• Your assignment is to write a 500-word essay on one of Shakespeare's sonnets.
• The book is a collection of his previously unpublished essays on/about a variety of topics.
• He at first essayed [= tried , attempted ] a career as a writer.
• There is no hint as to which of the approaches essayed in this book will prove most useful.
• He essayed [= tried , attempted ] to restore an emphasis on classical languages.

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Pronunciation [ change ]

Noun [ change ]

• The plural form of essay ; more than one (kind of) essay.

Verb [ change ]

• The third-person singular form of essay .

• Regular verbs
• Third-person singular forms
• Unexpected parameter in audio template
• Toggle limited content width

Singular or Plural? Sometimes, It Depends

The distributive plural.

When each part of a plural subject possesses something individually, the thing possessed must generally be in the plural as well. For example:

The two women blew their noses .

Each woman possesses one nose, so, logically, two women possess two noses. Some usage experts call this type of plural “the distributive plural” (Quirk et al. 768).

The Distributive Singular

But in several cases, the thing possessed should be in the singular.

To Indicate Joint Possession

For example, use the singular when two people possess something jointly:

While traveling together, the two women got lost and consulted their map .

To Convey Universal, Abstract, and Figurative Ideas

Wilson Follett remarks that the thing possessed also “remains in the singular when what is plurally possessed is universal, abstract, or figurative” (211). So if, after blowing their noses, our two women celebrated with a bottle of wine, we might say, The two women toasted their health (universal). If the doorbell rang while they were drinking the wine, we might say, The two women were led by their curiosity to open the door (abstract). But if no one was there when they opened the door, we might say, The visitors wanted to get something off their chest but had a change of heart (figurative).

To Avoid Ambiguity

Quirk et al. observe that sometimes the singular is needed if the plural would be ambiguous (768):

We asked the children to name their favorite animal .

If they were asked to name their favorite animals , the children might not be sure if they should name more than one. To make clear that each child, rather than the group as a whole, should give an answer, we could revise as follows:

We asked each child to answer the question, What is your favorite animal?

Mind Your Nouns

As Words into Type warns, when the sentence has more than one noun, you must be careful to use the singular for the correct noun (357): You should have seen the expression on their faces when they heard the news (not the expression on their face ).

Works Cited

Follett, Wilson. Modern American Usage: A Guide . Revised by Erik Wensberg, Hill and Wang, 1998.

Quirk, Randolph, et al. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language . Longman, 1985.

Words into Type . 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 1974.

10 Comments

Tamara herring 15 august 2019 at 09:08 pm.

What is the correct style for writing the plural of a word that is being used as a noun within a sentence? For example, “You are using too many ands in your writing.” From what I’ve found, the Chicago Manual of Style dictates that it be written exactly as included in my example—no underline, apostrophe, quotation marks, etc. Is it the same rule for MLA?

Your e-mail address will not be published

Jennifer A. Rappaport 18 August 2019 AT 08:08 AM

Great question. See our related post on how to form the plural of so : https://style.mla.org/plural-so/.

Jennifer Diaz 14 December 2021 AT 09:12 AM

Should a state name be used as a plural noun? For example, which sentence would be correctly written: California sent all their trash to Nevada. OR California sent all its trash to Nevada.

C. Barney Latimer 25 January 2022 AT 05:01 PM

A state name is a singular noun, so the correct sentence is “California sent all its trash to Nevada.” Many nouns known as collective nouns—such as team, family, and class—can be treated as singular or plural, depending on how they are used, but state names are not collective nouns and therefore always take singular verbs.

Luke 17 January 2022 AT 05:01 AM

Hi Jennifer,

Could you please help me with this?

If I was writing the following, which is correct or are both acceptable?

Left and Right Engine Bays or Left and Right Engine Bay

Thank you for your help.

Regards, Luke

C. Barney Latimer 10 March 2022 AT 05:03 PM

Since you are naming two distinct bays, the left one and the right one, the correct formulation would be plural—“left and right engine bays.”

Guru 22 April 2022 AT 03:04 AM

Every time people blows or blow?

Singular or Plural?

Vera Rodrigues 15 June 2022 AT 07:06 AM

Can you tell me witch one is correct: Part of the goods are made of organic cotton, and the other part are made in regular cotton or Part of the goods is made of organic cotton, and the other part is made in regular cotton?

Samantha Spinner 03 November 2022 AT 07:11 PM

When writing an essay, can some paragraphs be in the plural form and some in the singular form?

Sally 29 January 2024 AT 01:01 PM

How should I handle a situation in which there may be more than one of something, but that's entirely up to the participants? Example: There may be more than one car used by a team participating in an event, though most teams will work with only one. There are a lot of instructions for those participating, and writing "car or cars" at every reference is clunky and uses up valuable space, while using "car(s)" every time makes for confusing grammar. However the person running the event wants to be sure teams know they can provide multiple cars if they choose to, and not all participants will be involved in or see every piece of communication about the event, so we can't really refer to it as car(s) just once.

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Essay Plural, What is the Plural of Essay?

Meaning: a short piece of writing on a particular subject.

Table of Contents

Plural of Essay

• dissertation

Essay as a Singular Noun in Example Sentences:

• She submitted her essay before the deadline.
• The student received an A+ on his essay .
• The teacher assigned a persuasive essay for the assignment.
• He spent hours researching and writing the essay .
• The essay explored the theme of identity in literature.
• The scholarship required a well-written essay on a specific topic.
• The university professor provided feedback on the essay .
• The essay was published in a renowned academic journal.

Essay as a Plural Noun in Example Sentences:

• The students submitted their essays for grading.
• The conference received numerous essays from scholars around the world.
• The collection of essays covered a wide range of topics.
• The professor assigned weekly essays to encourage critical thinking.
• The finalists presented their essays in front of the audience.
• The anthology included essays from various renowned authors.
• The competition aimed to recognize outstanding essays on social issues.
• The workshop focused on refining students’ persuasive essays .

Singular Possessive of Essay:

The singular possessive form of “Essay” is “Essay’s”.

Examples of Singular Possessive Form of Essay:

• I need to read Essay’s conclusion.
• The topic of Essay’s first paragraph is intriguing.
• Have you seen Essay’s thesis statement?
• I appreciate Essay’s insightful analysis.
• The structure of Essay’s body paragraphs is clear.
• Essay’s introduction captures the reader’s attention.
• I admire Essay’s coherent argumentation.
• Essay’s conclusion summarizes the main points.
• Can you provide me with Essay’s bibliography?
• The evidence in Essay’s supporting paragraphs is compelling.

Plural Possessive of Essay:

The plural possessive form of “Essay” is “Essays'”.

Examples of Plural Possessive Form of Essay:

• I need to read the Essays’ conclusions.
• The topics of the Essays’ first paragraphs are diverse.
• Have you seen the Essays’ thesis statements?
• I appreciate the Essays’ insightful analyses.
• The structures of the Essays’ body paragraphs are well-organized.
• The Essays’ introductions engage the readers effectively.
• I admire the Essays’ coherent argumentations.
• The Essays’ conclusions summarize the main points eloquently.
• Can you provide me with the Essays’ bibliographies?
• The evidence in the Essays’ supporting paragraphs is substantial.

Explore Related Nouns:

• Complete List of Singular Plurals

Last updated on June 9th, 2023 at 09:23 pm

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Difference in meaning of a paragraph when using plural vs. using singular nouns

Consider the following two paragraphs where one uses "the pen" and "pens" in different ways:

" Reed pens were used extensively until the development of the quill pen in 600AD. The quill pen was made from the primary flight feathers of geese or more rarely swans".

" The reed pen was used extensively until the development of quill pens in 600AD. Quill pens were made from the primary flight feathers of geese or more rarely swans".

Is there any difference in meaning between the two paragraphs at all? If there is a difference in meaning, even very subtle, please elaborate.

If there is no difference in meaning, is there any rule or convention to stick to only one type of usage throughout an essay, i.e., if one already used "the quill pen" in the beginning, then one shouldn't use "quill pens" the rest of the essay?

• singular-vs-plural
• plural-forms

• I think there is a slight difference, which means your first version is more likely than the second. Using the article more strongly implies that the quill pen was a "specific" thing (that was "invented", so all actual instances of it would tend to be "the same", because they're "copied, made to a pattern"). Reed pens, on the other hand, were just an obvious easy way to make marks, that probably occurred to many different people at different times, using different patterns (sometimes from different types of reed). –  FumbleFingers Jul 19, 2023 at 15:36
• 2 Does this answer your question? General statements "the+singular noun" or "plural noun" –  FumbleFingers Jul 19, 2023 at 17:22
• Per the excellent answer to that linked question, When we use [ "the" + noun ] to refer to something in general, it means there's an understood general concept of that thing. I'm sure that even though most of us have never used a quill pen, many of us will have seen them in movies and paintings and such, and they'd usually be easily recognised for what they are, since most of the barbs remain attached to the quill (the "stem"). But "reed pens" might just look more like some kind of stick anyway, and we're much less likely to see and/or recognise them for what they are. –  FumbleFingers Jul 19, 2023 at 17:33
• Please bear in mind that "the quill pen" has the same meaning as: "quill pens". the quill pen there is not specific per se. It refers to quill pens as a whole. It is not "The quill pen on the table", which is specific. –  Lambie Jul 19, 2023 at 21:55
• 1 Most likely there are at least some quill pens in (occasional) use today, but the phrasing Quill pens were made from... does tend to imply that either they're no longer made at all, or they're made in a different way. If the product under consideration (X) was something that definitely doesn't / couldn't exist or be made that way today, you'd have to use Past tense. As in Umbrella racks were made from elephants' legs. But because it's at least possible to make and use quills today, you can use Present tense if you want. It's up to you. –  FumbleFingers Jul 21, 2023 at 16:05

2 Answers 2

The two ways of talking about pens have different meanings, but in that context there's no functional difference between the two versions of that paragraph. If you read one to a native speaker and asked them to repeat it back, they'd be likely to replace "the reed pen" with "reed pens" and the other way around too.

As for the difference, generally speaking, in contexts like these, " the X " refers to the general concept of something , rather than an instance of the thing itself. In this particular context, the reed pen in an invention, so it refers to the concept of the reed pen as an invention, rather than any reed pen. "Reed pens" refers to the actual pens that were made and used.

So the start of the first paragraph means roughly, " Actual reed pens were used extensively... ", while the start of the second paragraph means roughly, " The invention known as the reed pen was used extensively... ". Since there's no difference between using a reed pen and using the invention known as a reed pen, the two paragraphs are understood exactly the same.

• If "the reed pen" refers to the concept of the reed pen as an invention, then does the same thing apply to "the dog"? For instance, what is the difference between "the dog is man's best friend" and "dogs are man's best friend"? Clearly, we cannot refer to the dog as an invention. –  A Slow Learner Jul 20, 2023 at 6:57
• @ASlowLearner I've added a bit to the start of my second paragraph. Does that fit better with "the dog"? –  gotube ♦ Jul 20, 2023 at 22:15

Is there any difference in meaning between the two paragraphs at all?

It's question of style, not a rule. Too much change will be confusing, but some change might make the passage less monotonous. The writer should balance these considerations. I would pick one form and stick to it, then, if I notice on rereading that the passage seems monotonous, I would consider changing the grammatical number as a way of relieving the monotony.

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What is the plural word for essay?

Add your answer:

What is the plural of paragraph?

The plural of paragraph is paragraphs. As in "this essay needs paragraphs".

What are the syllables for essay?

The word essay has two syllables. The syllables in the word are es-say.

Should the word clergymen be capitalized in an essay?

No, the plural noun 'clergymen' is a common noun, a general word for male (usually Christian) priests, ministers, or religious leaders.A common noun is capitalized only when it is the first word in a sentence.

What is the word count for an essay of an extract?

An essay that is written on exact or any topic should have a high word count. Once an essay is complete then the word count can be computed by most word processing document. Without a specific essay to review there is no exact word count.

What is a non plural word?

A non-plural word, a word (noun or pronoun) that is not plural is singular, a word for just one.

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What is the Plural of Assay?

What is the plural form of the word "assay"? The plural form (meaning multiples) of the base word "assay" is "assays." Nouns can identify places, people, animals, and other things. They are the basic materials required to construct sentences. There are different types of nouns , including proper nouns , common nouns , compound nouns , collective nouns , abstract nouns , and countable and uncountable nouns.

What is the plural of Assay?

The plural form of the word "assay" is "assays". Forming plural nouns can be difficult. To form the plural form of the word, you'll base it on the last letter or last two letters of the singular word form.

The word "assay" is considered a common noun .

Sentence examples for the plural of "Assay"

• Example 1: There are multiple assays.
• Example 2: I can see multiple assays.
• Example 3: Over there could be more assays.

For more examples, see the definition of the word assay .

My experience with plural forms...

When it comes to plural forms, I was always confused! Just like you, I would be looking up the singular words plural formation...

Here are some really simple tricks that helps me remember plural forms:

• Did you know that most plurals are formed by adding an -s to the end of the word? Yes!
• If the noun ends in a consonant plus "–y," form the plural by swapping the "–y" for "–ies."
• If the noun ends in "–ch," "-s," "-sh," "-x," or "-z," form the plural by adding "–es."

Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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Meaning of essay in English

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• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
• His essay was full of spelling errors .
• Have you given that essay in yet ?
• Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
• I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
• boilerplate
• composition
• corresponding author
• dissertation
• essay question
• peer review
• go after someone
• go all out idiom
• go down swinging/fighting idiom
• go for it idiom
• go for someone
• shoot for the moon idiom
• shoot the works idiom
• smarten (someone/something) up
• smarten up your act idiom
• square the circle idiom

essay | American Dictionary

Examples of essay, collocations with essay.

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A subreddit for all who fall under the plurality umbrella and those interested in learning about plurality, and want to live a healthy, plural life. Whether you've got DID/OSDD, are a natural, have tulpas or soulbonds, or any combination of others in your head, you're welcome here. Tags: plurality, medianhood, healthy multiplicity, multiple systems, soulbonds, tulpamancy, dissociative identity disorder, multiple personality, neurodiversity, neurodivergent

Is this Plurality, or did I got it wrong?

I posted here a while ago, but I'm still struggling to understand what's my situation. In a way, I related to the plurality spectrum, but I don't know how to name my situation. Maybe you can help me?

I always had a very active inner dialogue, with at least three voices that seemed independent: one that is kind of a reflection of me I know myself, an obscure voice that made questions, and myself. Also, for some time I've been wanting to write up something that I named a "personal zodiac" with characters I created that I think that resonates with aspects of myself.

Since I discovered about plurality, I thought if these characters couldn't be part of my "system" (in quotes, because I don't know if I'm using the term properly). Now that I'm half way writing about each of them - 7 in total - I'm thinking if I got plurality right.

Am I plural if I consider myself as one single person, one single entity, and I have these characters in my head who are aspects of myself? Or is it another thing?

Thanks in advance!

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Doing Long-Distance

Alice Liang and Christina Iverson open our solving weekend.

By Deb Amlen

Jump to: Tricky Clues

FRIDAY PUZZLE — Alice Liang made her New York Times Crossword debut almost a year ago as part of the 2023 class of the Diverse Crossword Constructor Fellowship . Each of the fellows is mentored by a puzzle editor in order to learn how to construct crosswords, and Ms. Liang worked with Christina Iverson.

This puzzle is Ms. Liang’s second in The Times and is likely to be a hit with solvers who feel that the Friday puzzles have not been as difficult as they used to be. I wrestled mightily with this one and had a good time doing it. I also learned a few things along the way. Any mistakes were of my own making. For example, a crossing that I originally thought was unfair turned out to be perfectly cromulent after I went back to reread the clues.

I encourage those who are just starting to solve the late-week, tougher puzzles to hang in there, because there is a lot to see in this grid. Today’s crossword may give you a run for your money, but you can solve it. The usual methods apply here:

Fill in the entries you definitely know first . You can always branch out from there.

Take breaks when you feel stuck . Your brain continues to work on the clues in the background, while you are doing something else, and you will probably be able to fill in more answers when you return to the puzzle.

Work those crossings . If you don’t know an Across answer, try the crossing Down entries. Your brain loves filling in missing information, and you may be able to take an educated guess at the Across entry once you have a few letters filled in.

Look things up if you don’t know them. I know. Some people feel that’s cheating. But trust me: You will become a better solver for it, because you will probably see that clue again.

The one thing I hope you don’t do is get so frustrated that you stop solving the puzzle. There’s no rule that says you have to finish, but you will feel so satisfied and pleased with yourself if you do. And hopefully, you will have learned something from the puzzle, as I did.

I’m rooting for you. Go get this one.

Tricky Clues

5A. It’s easy to assume that “Doing long-distance, say” is about running, but this clue refers to a long-distance relationship, and the answer is APART.

10A. A bird “Flaps” its wings, and you can have a flap on a bag or pocket, but in this puzzle, “Flaps” is a synonym for states of excitement. The answer, in the corresponding plural, is ADOS.

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