write

American  

[rahyt] / raɪt /

verb (used with object)

• writes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wrote,
  past
• writ,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• written,
  past participle
• writing
  present participle

1. to trace or form (characters, letters, words, etc.) on the surface of some material, as with a pen, pencil, or other instrument or means; inscribe.

   Write your name on the board.

2. to express or communicate in writing; give a written account of.

   She wrote to thank us for the hospitality.

3. to fill in the blank spaces of (a printed form) with writing.

   to write a check.

4. to execute or produce by setting down words, figures, etc..

   to write two copies of a letter.

5. to compose and produce in words or characters duly set down.

   to write a letter to a friend.

6. to produce as author or composer.

   to write a sonnet;

   to write a symphony.

   Synonyms:

   create, draft, author, pen, compose

7. to trace significant characters on, or mark or cover with writing.

8. to cause to be apparent or unmistakable.

   Honesty is written on his face.

9. Computers. to transfer (information, data, programs, etc.) from storage to secondary storage or an output medium.

10. Stock Exchange. to sell (options).

11. to underwrite.

---

verb (used without object)

• writes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wrote,
  past
• writ,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• written,
  past participle
• writing
  present participle

1. to trace or form characters, words, etc., with a pen, pencil, or other instrument or means, or as a pen or the like does.

   He writes with a pen.

2. to write as a profession or occupation.

   She writes for the Daily Inquirer.

3. to express ideas in writing.

   He wrote about his trip to Borneo.

4. to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter.

   Write if you get work.

5. to compose or work as a writer or author.

6. Computers. to transfer into a secondary storage device or output medium.

verb phrase

1. write up

   1. to put into writing, especially in full detail.

      My boss asked me to write up a report for the meeting on Monday, so I cancelled my plans and worked on it all weekend.

   2. to present to public notice in a written description or account.

   3. to document a violation, complaint, or charge against, especially in a recommendation for disciplinary action.

      Is it true that you were written up by your French teacher because you set a classroom dictionary on fire?

   4. Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).

2. write off

   1. to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.

   2. to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget.

      to write off their bad experience.

   3. to amortize.

      The new equipment was written off in three years.

3. write down

   1. to set down in writing; record; note.

   2. to direct one's writing to a less intelligent reader or audience.

      He writes down to the public.

4. write in

   1. to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing a full name rather than selecting an option on the ballot.

   2. to include in or add to a text by writing.

      Do not write in corrections on the galley.

   3. to request something by mail.

      If interested, please write in for details.

5. write out

   1. to put into writing.

   2. to write in full form; state completely.

   3. to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing.

      He's just another author who has written himself out.

write British  

/ raɪt /

verb

1. to draw or mark (symbols, words, etc) on a surface, usually paper, with a pen, pencil, or other instrument

2. to describe or record (ideas, experiences, etc) in writing

3. to compose (a letter) to or correspond regularly with (a person, organization, etc)

4. (tr; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letter

   he wrote that he was on his way

5. informal (tr) to send a letter to (a person, etc)

6. to write (words) in cursive as opposed to printed style

7. (tr) to be sufficiently familiar with (a specified style, language, etc) to use it in writing

8. to be the author or composer of (books, music, etc)

9. (tr) to fill in the details for (a document, form, etc)

10. (tr) to draw up or draft

11. (tr) to produce by writing

    he wrote ten pages

12. (tr) to show clearly

    envy was written all over his face

13. (tr) to spell, inscribe, or entitle

14. (tr) to ordain or prophesy

    it is written

15. (tr) to sit (an examination)

16. (intr) to produce writing as specified

17. computing to record (data) in a location in a storage device Compare read 1

18. (tr) Compare underwrite

---

write Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing write

• nothing to write home about
• wrote

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• miswrite
  verb (used with object)
• writable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• writing
  present
• writ
  past
• written
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• write
  simple
• writes
  simple
• have writ
  perfect
• have written
  perfect
• has writ
  perfect
• has written
  perfect
• am writing
  progressive
• are writing
  progressive
• is writing
  progressive
• have been writing
  perfect progressive
• has been writing
  perfect progressive

Past

• writ
  simple
• wrote
  simple
• had writ
  perfect
• had written
  perfect
• was writing
  progressive
• were writing
  progressive
• had been writing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will write
  simple
• will have writ
  perfect
• will have written
  perfect
• will be writing
  progressive
• will have been writing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of write

First recorded before 900; Middle English writen, Old English wrītan; cognate with Old Saxon wrītan “to cut, write,” German reissen “to tear, draw,” Old Norse rīta “to score, write”

Explanation

To write is to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. If you have trouble falling asleep, write down all the thoughts swimming around your head before getting into bed as a way to clear your mind. Write is the modern day spelling of the Old English writan, meaning “to score, outline, draw the figure of.” Now it has the sense of “to set down in writing.” You can write music, a short story, or computer code. You can write a letter, or write in cursive. You can write up an account of a burglary, or write down your feelings in a journal. Write on!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

write writes writ wrote written writing

Nathan is alleged to have instructed Case to write copy that would “follow along the lines of a purported ‘whistleblower’ narrative.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Seiler then had the children of friends write passages on fresh papyrus using traditional reed pens and the prepared inks.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

A senior source says: "His political will needs to be more bold than the machine around him – don't write cheques you can't cash."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Claims that Canadian-Haitian writer Thelyson Orelien used AI tools to write his best-selling debut novel are rocking the French literary world and posing questions about how AI can be detected.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

But even as I write this, I know you won’t.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

One user on RedNote writes, "He consistently views issues from the perspective of the vulnerable, attributes personal stress to macro-level causes, and encourages people to actively engage with life - it's truly wonderful."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

"When I first got into alternative music I felt like I was betraying my race, and had to keep my love of rock practically secret," she writes in her new book.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

A man who has been to almost every country on earth, Mr. Theroux writes, remarkably, that he “never felt safer than when I traveled in Canada.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Eventually, however, he writes that he realized the writers just needed a way to foist him off the show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

There’s something about the way Madeline writes that’s so familiar.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

At first, this motley crew of activists took care to insist they were not against data centers writ large.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

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

Reform UK had originally hoped the vote would be held on 6 August but Tendring District Council received the writ on Friday and announced the date would be a week later.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

“He’s writ a letter says he’s been hounded from his own palace by the rebels.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

"I have submitted my request to our party chairman to be excused from all positions and responsibilities I currently hold," she wrote.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

“This project would have devastating and long-lasting consequences for the surrounding region and nearby communities,” Chu wrote, calling out concerns about pollution, traffic, noise and harm to wildlife.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

They wrote and produced their own songs, shaped their own streetwear image and blended genres ranging from hip-hop and R&B to trot, a traditional South Korean folk genre.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

They “started to panic,” a federal judge later wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Friday afternoon, Jonah shoved aside his math homework and wrote on a clean sheet of paper:

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Packard-Grams and Jesse Obert of the Archaeological Research Facility scanned the newly written scrolls to verify the amount of lead present.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

However, they sent a written statement through a longtime friend who created an online fundraiser for the couple.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

We don't know who was on the panel that heard and ruled on the case, and that will only come once a written judgment is released.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

In Mr. Fiennes’s view, “no other French author has written with such intensity and such an exquisitely sharp eye for the natural world, or indeed about the needs and passions of the human one.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“It’s excellent, Grace. Beautifully written, insightful. I’ll send you a few notes—little things. But for the most part I’d say it’s ready to submit.”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

It started when I was writing an angry email to my insurance company.

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

"We always need to make sure that it's authentic material and whenever we publish something about it, it needs to be in the public interest to start writing."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

For scholars who study ancient writing, the potential importance is difficult to overstate.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

I do find plenty of things to be grateful for and optimistic about, even if it doesn’t always come through in my published writing.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The problem with spending two hours doing math with Avery is that I leave myself no time to choose a poem for writing class.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• address
• compose
• create
• draft
• note
• pen
• print
• record
• rewrite
• scrawl
• scribble
• sign
• tell