1 ~ (on sth) a short piece of writing by a student as part of a course of study:
an essay on the causes of the First World War
2 ~ (on sth) a short piece of writing on a particular subject, written in order to be published:
The book contains a number of interesting essays on women in society.
3 ~ (in sth) (formal) an attempt to do sth:
His first essay in politics was a complete disaster.
verb [VN] (literary) to try to do sth
