Showing results for "writ"

• past tense form of write.
• past participle of write.

writ

¹ American  

[rit] / rɪt /

noun

• writs
  plural

1. Law.

   1. a formal order under seal, issued in the name of a sovereign, government, court, or other competent authority, enjoining the officer or other person to whom it is issued or addressed to do or refrain from some specified act.

   2. (in early English law) any formal document in letter form, under seal, and in the sovereign's name.

2. something written; a writing.

   sacred writ.

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writ ² American  

[rit] / rɪt /

verb

Archaic.

1. a simple past tense and past participle of write.

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writ ¹ British  

/ rɪt /

noun

1. Official name: claim.  law (formerly) a document under seal, issued in the name of the Crown or a court, commanding the person to whom it is addressed to do or refrain from doing some specified act

2. archaic a piece or body of writing

   Holy Writ

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writ ² British  

/ rɪt /

verb

1. archaic a past tense and past participle of write

2. plain to see; very obvious

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• writs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of writ

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Norse rit writing, Gothic writs letter. See write

Explanation

If you are ever served with a writ, then you better do what it says. A writ is a written document issuing a legal order. The word writ has been around since before the twelfth century and was first used to describe a written document needed to have a case heard at the royal courts of England during the Middle Ages. Nowadays, the king is most likely no longer involved, but this word still refers to a legal document issued by a court of law. A writ contains a written order instructing someone to do something or to stop doing something. If you ever need to give out a writ, remember that the verb to serve is typically used to describe the issuing of a writ — as in “Tony was served with a writ on Monday.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

writ writs

The government injected billions into banks, insurance giant AIG and the automobile industry to prevent the collapse of individual companies that would have jeopardized the economy and the financial system writ large if they failed.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

It represents a leap in the evolution of Saar’s work — her smaller scale imaginings now writ large.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

From the moment a writ is moved in Parliament - the process of formally triggering a by-election - it usually takes place between 21 and 27 working days.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

It’s also easy to imagine video game companies writ large choosing to slash budgets by removing their own disc drives as hardware becomes far more expensive to produce, thanks to the A.I.-induced memory-processor shortage.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Upon the wall, writ large, was a chart labeled “Mammalia — or, Beasts that Give Suck.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

General warrants and writs of assistance enraged the colonies precisely because they allowed British officials to rummage through homes and businesses without individualized suspicion.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

“The Fourth Amendment was born of the Founders’ revulsion for general warrants and writs of assistance—instruments that allowed the government to search first and develop suspicions later,” Mr. Chatrie says in his brief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

The Honduran woman, not named in court documents, filed a petition for writs of habeas corpus, challenging the legality of her and her family’s detention at a Texas facility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025

The Smith team then made its most important and aggressive move by noting that when judges have issued clearly erroneous jury instructions that doom prosecutions, “courts have permitted the government to obtain writs of mandamus.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

When Walter, who could barely read or write, failed to file the various pleadings, writs, motions, and lawsuits the other prisoners had advised him to file, they blamed him for his predicament.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• summons