write-in
[ rahyt-in ]
/ ˈraɪtˌɪn /
noun
a candidate or vote for a candidate not listed on the printed ballot but written onto it by the voter: Write-ins may swing the election.
adjective
of, relating to, or for such a candidate or vote or a ballot so marked: a write-in campaign.
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Origin of write-in
First recorded in 1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for write-in
write in
verb (tr)
to insert in (a document, form, etc) in writing
(adverb) to write a letter to a company, institution, etc
(adverb) US
- 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
noun write-in US
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with write-in
write in
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.