write-in
Americannoun
adjective
verb
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to insert in (a document, form, etc) in writing
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(adverb) to write a letter to a company, institution, etc
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(adverb)
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to vote for (a person not on a ballot) by writing in his name
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to cast (a vote) for such a person by writing in his name
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noun
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the act of voting for a person by writing his name on a ballot
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a candidate or vote that has been written in
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( as modifier )
a write-in campaign
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Cast a vote by inserting a name not listed on the ballot, as in He asked them to write in his name as a candidate . [c. 1930]
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Insert in a text or document, as in Please don't write in your corrections on the printed pages, but list them separately . [Late 1300s]
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Communicate with an organization by mail, as in Listeners are being asked to write in their requests . [1920s]
Etymology
Origin of write-in
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Voters were asked to fill out a write-in ballot due to the unusually high number of candidates.
From BBC
In 2010, she notched a rare write-in victory after losing the GOP nomination to a right-wing “tea party” Republican.
From Los Angeles Times
By the end of the presidential primary races in June, the movement had amassed over 750,000 "uncommitted," "uninstructed" or "no preference" votes, including write-in and blank-ballot protests in states without such options.
From Salon
It was a write-in, as Martínez’s name was not on the ballot.
From Los Angeles Times
It quickly became the target of a massive write-in campaign protesting such candid talk about sex on television; the show was canceled after 14 weeks.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
