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• write-down
  write-down

  noun

  a reduction of the entered value of an asset account.
• write down
  write down

  verb

  (tr) to set down in writing

write-down

American  

[rahyt-doun] / ˈraɪtˌdaʊn /

noun

Accounting.

1. a reduction of the entered value of an asset account.

2. the procedure of reducing the recorded value of an asset, either by estimate or as a plan.

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write down British  

verb

1. (tr) to set down in writing

2. (tr) to harm or belittle by writing about (a person) in derogatory terms

3. (intr; foll by to or for) to write in a simplified way (to a supposedly less cultured readership)

4. (tr) accounting to decrease the book value of (an asset)

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noun

1. accounting a reduction made in the book value of an asset

write down Idioms  

1. Set down in writing, record, as in Please write down your new address and phone number . [Late 1500s]

2. Reduce in rank, value, or price, as in They've written down their assets . [Late 1800s]

3. Write in a simple or condescending style, as in These science texts are written down for high-school students . [Second half of 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of write-down

First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase write down

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

write-down write down

Ford last year announced a massive $19.5 billion write-down primarily tied to its struggling EV unit; GM has written down about $11 billion, including $2.3 billion announced for the latest quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Cogeco says the competitive environment drove the write-down of goodwill and other intangible assets tied to the segment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

First came the write-down, then came the redemption.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

Federal prosecutors are probing a BlackRock private-credit fund that surprised investors with a sharp write-down of its loan portfolio earlier this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

All through 2008, she followed the bankers’ and brokers’ claims that they had put their problems behind them with this write-down or that capital raise with her own claim: You’re wrong.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

“For one month, write down every penny you spend,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

One man gifted Wilber a notebook he made of old chip bags and cardboard from a cereal box, and suggested he write down his family’s phone numbers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Project costs get booked over a multiyear period and companies also have to write down the value of their assets due to depreciation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

He told conference call listeners that a third of the $1.3 billion portfolio write down came from loans to the companies Medallia, Cubic Corp., and Affordable Care.

From Barron's ● May 11, 2026

“I’d best write down the birthday so I don’t forget. Everybody likes to get a card on their birthday, what? Hand me my almanac, would you, Old Tim?”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

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