a reduction of the entered value of an asset account.
the procedure of reducing the recorded value of an asset, either by estimate or as a plan.
(tr) to set down in writing
(tr) to harm or belittle by writing about (a person) in derogatory terms
(intr; foll by to or for) to write in a simplified way (to a supposedly less cultured readership)
(tr) accounting to decrease the book value of (an asset)
Set down in writing, record, as in Please write down your new address and phone number . [Late 1500s]
Reduce in rank, value, or price, as in They've written down their assets . [Late 1800s]
Write in a simple or condescending style, as in These science texts are written down for high-school students . [Second half of 1800s]
First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase write down
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Already, federal prosecutors are investigating the valuation practices at a BlackRock private-credit fund that had surprised investors with a sharp write-down of its loan portfolio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
First came the write-down, then came the redemption.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
Buying at a discount could force a write-down of the existing book, while buying near par validates it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
In a 2019 trial, HPE had accused Lynch of inflating Autonomy's revenues which it said forced it to announce an $8.8bn write-down of the company's worth.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 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
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
The only thing you’re able to write down is monetary.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
"They don't know how that small negative comment, that you can write down without caring, can affect someone's life."
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
“I could take care of those charts. I could write down everyone’s names and keep track of where they start, what kind of progress they make, where they finish. Stats like that.”
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
