• More from M-W
  • To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

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

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

alt 5a4412a517d28

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 15 Dec. 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

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries.  Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Using bullet points ( • ), point of view: it's personal, plural and possessive names: a guide, what's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism', more commonly misspelled words, popular in wordplay, more words with remarkable origins, 8 words for lesser-known musical instruments, birds say the darndest things, 10 scrabble words without any vowels, 12 more bird names that sound like insults (and sometimes are), games & quizzes.

Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Synonyms of 'essay' in American English

Synonyms of 'essay' in british english, additional synonyms.

Youtube video

It seems that your browser is blocking this video content.

To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.

English Quiz

Browse alphabetically essay

  • esprit de corps
  • All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'E'

Tile

Wordle Helper

Tile

Scrabble Tools

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

  • Access the entire site, including the Easy Learning Grammar , and our language quizzes.
  • Customize your language settings. (Unregistered users can only access the International English interface for some pages.)
  • Submit new words and phrases to the dictionary.
  • Benefit from an increased character limit in our Translator tool.
  • Receive our weekly newsletter with the latest news, exclusive content, and offers.
  • Be the first to enjoy new tools and features.
  • It is easy and completely free !

Cambridge Dictionary

  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Synonyms and antonyms of essay in English

{{randomImageQuizHook.quizId}}

Word of the Day

sweet nothings

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

romantic and loving talk

Cringeworthy and toe-curling (The language of embarrassment)

Cringeworthy and toe-curling (The language of embarrassment)

Learn more with +Plus

  • Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
  • Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
  • Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
  • Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
  • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
  • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
  • English–Dutch Dutch–English
  • English–French French–English
  • English–German German–English
  • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
  • English–Italian Italian–English
  • English–Japanese Japanese–English
  • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
  • English–Polish Polish–English
  • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
  • English–Spanish Spanish–English
  • English–Swedish Swedish–English
  • Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

To add ${headword} to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

IMAGES

  1. Summary Synonym

    essay synonym merriam webster

  2. 11 Fantastic Online Writing Tools for Free in 2022

    essay synonym merriam webster

  3. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms

    essay synonym merriam webster

  4. Writing an Expository Essay. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines an

    essay synonym merriam webster

  5. Essay or Assay: Merriam-Webster "Tries" to Explain the Difference

    essay synonym merriam webster

  6. (1994) The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms (PDF)

    essay synonym merriam webster

VIDEO

  1. Easy Vocabulary words// Words synonym// Vocabulary words// use alternate words

  2. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Audiobook

  3. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Audiobook