underwrite
Americanverb (used with object)
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to write under or at the foot of, especially under other written matter.
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to sign one's name, as to a document.
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to show agreement with or to support by or as if by signing one's name to, as a statement or decision.
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to bind oneself to contribute a sum of money to (an undertaking).
Wealthy music lovers underwrote the experimental concerts.
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to guarantee the sale of (a security issue to be offered to the public for subscription).
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Insurance.
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to write one's name at the end of (a policy), thereby becoming liable in case of certain losses specified in the policy.
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to insure.
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to assume liability to the extent of (a specified sum) by way of insurance.
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to select or rate (risks) for insurance.
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verb (used without object)
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to underwrite something.
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to carry on the business of an underwriter.
verb
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finance to undertake to purchase at an agreed price any unsold portion of (a public issue of shares, etc)
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to accept financial responsibility for (a commercial project or enterprise)
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insurance
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to sign and issue (an insurance policy) thus accepting liability if specified losses occur
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to insure (a property or risk)
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to accept liability up to (a specified amount) in an insurance policy
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to write (words, a signature, etc) beneath (other written matter); subscribe
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to support or concur with (a decision, statement, etc) by or as if by signature
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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underwritesimple
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underwritessimple
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have underwrittenperfect
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has underwrittenperfect
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are underwritingprogressive
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am underwritingprogressive
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is underwritingprogressive
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have been underwritingperfect progressive
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has been underwritingperfect progressive
Past
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underwrotesimple
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had underwrittenperfect
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was underwritingprogressive
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were underwritingprogressive
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had been underwritingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of underwrite
First recorded before 1400–50; late Middle English, translation of Latin subscrībere “to write underneath, sign, subscribe”; see origin at subscribe
Explanation
To underwrite is to insure or promise to be financially responsible in case of loss or damage. An insurance agent can underwrite your renter's insurance policy, which protects you if there's a fire or robbery, for example. Insurance companies can underwrite, estimating the value of a life or property, and so can large banks — when a bank underwrites a loan, it means they carefully check the borrower's credit history. The word underwrite comes from the Old English underwritan, "write at the foot of," and originally is exactly what underwriters did, signing their names at the bottom of an assessment of risk, promising to pay in case of disaster in exchange for a set amount of money.
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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.
Banks that underwrite IPOs engage in a book-building process that can be more art than science, trying to build just the right mix of short- and long-term holders of the stock.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
“They want to underwrite on a deal by deal basis, they want to understand what they are investing in,” he says.
From Barron's • May 23, 2026
When China was credited with brokering the Saudi-Iran rapprochement in 2023, the two nations had conducted years of back-channel talks and simply required a low-risk broker to underwrite the final agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
The Consumer Bankers Association estimated earlier this year that the private sector could underwrite student loans for at least 75% of graduate students who would have otherwise taken on more federal debt.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
All that was left was the furniture that was absolutely necessary, the silver candelabra and table service, for the everyday utensils had been sold one by one to underwrite the costs of her education.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
