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• write-off
  write-off

  noun

  a cancellation from the accounts as a loss.
• write off
  write off

  verb

  accounting

write-off

American  

[rahyt-awf, -of] / ˈraɪtˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

• write-offs
  plural

1. a cancellation from the accounts as a loss.

2. an uncollectable account.

3. a reduction in book value; depreciation.

4. Informal. a person or thing that is given up as hopeless or pointless.

   Joe's college career is a write-off.

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write off British  

verb

1. accounting

   1. to cancel (a bad debt or obsolete asset) from the accounts

   2. to consider (a transaction, etc) as a loss or set off (a loss) against revenues

   3. to depreciate (an asset) by periodic charges

   4. to charge (a specified amount) against gross profits as depreciation of an asset

2. to cause or acknowledge the complete loss of

3. to send a written order for (something)

   she wrote off for a brochure

4. informal to damage (something, esp a car) beyond repair

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noun

1. accounting

   1. the act of cancelling a bad debt or obsolete asset from the accounts

   2. the bad debt or obsolete asset cancelled

   3. the amount cancelled against gross profits, corresponding to the book value of the bad debt or obsolete asset

2. informal something damaged beyond repair, esp a car

write off Idioms  

1. Reduce an asset's book value to zero because it is worthless, as in The truck was wrecked completely, so we can write it off . [Late 1600s]

2. Cancel from an account as a loss, as in Since they'll never be able to pay back what they owe, let's just write off that debt . [Late 1800s] Also see charge off , def. 2.

3. Regard as a failure or worthless, as in There was nothing to do but write off the first day of our trip because of the bad weather , or She resented their tendency to write her off as a mere housewife . [Late 1800s]

4. Amortize, as in We can write off the new computer network in two years or less . Also see charge off , def. 2.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• write-offs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of write-off

First recorded in 1745–55; noun use of verb phrase write off

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

write-off write off write-offs

Yet the quarterly tax write-off from shelving Coyote vs.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

The studio also announced that they were scrapping the finished film for a $30 million tax write-off.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Tessellations offered parents a deal: pay half their tuition as a donation for a tax write-off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

Likewise, Andy’s story starts when a magnate shutters her current job at a newspaper called the New York Vanguard, firing her and her colleagues for a $500-million tax write-off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

Throughout the civilized world, from Battery Park to Fulton Street, he was known as a dependable man for a fast tax write-off.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Canada is implementing a tax change tied to the accelerated write off of capital equipment that attempts to move the country toward Prime Minister Mark Carney’s goal of attracting nearly $1 trillion of new investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The proposed productivity mega deduction will allow taxpayers to fully write off the cost of an investment in the year it becomes available.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Tax Court judge rejected an influencer’s bid to write off what he paid for Grammy tickets, Emmy tickets and meet-and-greets with A-list names.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

In total the UK government was forced to write off £9.9bn worth of PPE that was either unused or out of date, as well as £157m for unused healthcare equipment.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Sometimes kids just have to write off lost articles of clothing at the end of a party.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Can I get tax write-offs for my time and costs?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

The organisation has drawn up a blueprint for manufacturers, with a list of recommendations to keep repairs as simple and affordable as possible and to avoid unnecessary write-offs.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

GM faces challenges from reduced new car demand, EV investment write-offs, and tariffs, with 2025 operating profit at $12.7 billion.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Last year Ford announced $19.5 billion in write-offs as it retooled its EV strategy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

Russia has spent the last two years negotiating generous package deals - rescheduling, write-offs, grace periods measured in years - with its most obtuse debtors.

From Russian Roulette: Russia's Economy in Putin's Era by Samuel Vaknin

Related Words

• cancel
• give up
• lower