to insert in (a document, form, etc) in writing
(adverb) to write a letter to a company, institution, etc
(adverb)
to vote for (a person not on a ballot) by writing in his name
to cast (a vote) for such a person by writing in his name
the act of voting for a person by writing his name on a ballot
a candidate or vote that has been written in
( as modifier )
a write-in campaign
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]
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]
Communicate with an organization by mail, as in Listeners are being asked to write in their requests . [1920s]
First recorded in 1930–35
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
County Republican Party, she lost a previous bid for state Assembly and a write-in campaign for L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
Thanks to a well-orchestrated write-in campaign, Biden still received more than 63 percent of the vote, then he secured 96.2 percent in the party-sanctioned first contest in South Carolina.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
Polling is taking place in three phases spread over a month, using new electronic voting machines which do not allow write-in candidates or spoiled ballots.
From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025
Liebling, who covered it for the New York World-Telegram, he sought the “cultural write-in vote.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Karen talked about write-in candidates, which is when the person who votes can write in the name of someone who hasn’t been officially nominated.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Promoter Eddie Hearn said there are "many, many more chapters to write" in Joshua's career, beginning with the long-awaited meeting with Fury, which is mooted to take place later this year.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The prices remain under pressure as the supply-demand balance weakens, Baocheng Futures analysts write in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Apple Music “I used to just write in silence but now I listen to music while I write, usually jazz that doesn’t have words.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
"When I write in Jaintia, it's a very personal emotion," she says.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
A few students call out their gratitude to Ms. Porter, and everyone is suddenly in motion, laughing with their friends, uncapping markers to write in each other’s yearbooks.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
But Zappala secured enough write-ins in the Republican primary to get that party’s nomination.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
It's one of those advice column write-ins where you question for a minute if the dilemma is actually based in truth.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2022
Brown declared victory and thanked his supporters after local media reported Walton had won 41% of the vote while 59% of the votes were write-ins.
From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2021
But Miguel Nunes, deputy director of state Board of Elections, told lawmakers tallying write-ins is a “monumental responsibility.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 25, 2019
The other 1,547 votes were write-ins or illegible.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
