Definition

In the essays below, you should know the subject thoroughly since the writers have composed extended definitions. You can learn to write a definition essay from these websites:

All writers in this collection speak for themselves—and themselves alone.

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Writer Rachel Maizes recounts life with Chance, her often aggressive, mixed-breed dog.

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Writer Libby Hill examines television, namely period dramas like The Americans and Masters of Sex, and concludes that the identities people assume in life are both true and false.

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Kiri Blakeley, a contributor to Forbes magazine, defines the modern cat lady by exploring the connection women (and some men) have with cats.

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Writer Val Brown shares her own take on how Facebook has redefined the word "friend."

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Los Angeles Times reporter Marisa Gerber describes how the traditional quinceanera has evolved over the past 40 years.

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Therapist and minister Wayne Muller seeks to define on a personal level what the economic concept of GDP is.

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Stephanie Butnik, writing for the New York Times, tries to dispel the myth that cat people are crazy by defining the "new" cat owner.

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Jon Mooallem, a writer for the New York Times, investigates the "designer" dog fad which has created Labradoodles and puggles.

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Author John Lanchester explains how our idea of food and what "food" means has changed.

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Writing for the Atlantic, Jessica Leigh Hester investigates the world of preppers, those folks preparing for the end of the world.

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What is ultimate frisbee? In this article, author Charles Bethea explains the sport and why its players believe it belongs at the Olympics

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