write
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to express or communicate in writing; give a written account of.
She wrote to thank us for the hospitality.
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to fill in the blank spaces of (a printed form) with writing.
to write a check.
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to execute or produce by setting down words, figures, etc..
to write two copies of a letter.
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to compose and produce in words or characters duly set down.
to write a letter to a friend.
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to produce as author or composer.
to write a sonnet;
to write a symphony.
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to trace significant characters on, or mark or cover with writing.
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to cause to be apparent or unmistakable.
Honesty is written on his face.
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Computers. to transfer (information, data, programs, etc.) from storage to secondary storage or an output medium.
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Stock Exchange. to sell (options).
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to underwrite.
verb (used without object)
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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.
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to write as a profession or occupation.
She writes for the Daily Inquirer.
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to express ideas in writing.
He wrote about his trip to Borneo.
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to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter.
Write if you get work.
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to compose or work as a writer or author.
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Computers. to transfer into a secondary storage device or output medium.
verb phrase
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write up
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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.
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to present to public notice in a written description or account.
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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?
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Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).
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write off
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to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.
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to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget.
to write off their bad experience.
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to amortize.
The new equipment was written off in three years.
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write down
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write in
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to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing a full name rather than selecting an option on the ballot.
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to include in or add to a text by writing.
Do not write in corrections on the galley.
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to request something by mail.
If interested, please write in for details.
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write out
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to put into writing.
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to write in full form; state completely.
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to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing.
He's just another author who has written himself out.
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verb
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to draw or mark (symbols, words, etc) on a surface, usually paper, with a pen, pencil, or other instrument
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to describe or record (ideas, experiences, etc) in writing
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to compose (a letter) to or correspond regularly with (a person, organization, etc)
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letter
he wrote that he was on his way
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informal (tr) to send a letter to (a person, etc)
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to write (words) in cursive as opposed to printed style
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(tr) to be sufficiently familiar with (a specified style, language, etc) to use it in writing
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to be the author or composer of (books, music, etc)
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(tr) to fill in the details for (a document, form, etc)
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(tr) to draw up or draft
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(tr) to produce by writing
he wrote ten pages
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(tr) to show clearly
envy was written all over his face
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(tr) to spell, inscribe, or entitle
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(tr) to ordain or prophesy
it is written
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(tr) to sit (an examination)
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(intr) to produce writing as specified
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computing to record (data) in a location in a storage device Compare read 1
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(tr) Compare underwrite
Other Word Forms
- miswrite verb (used with object)
- writable adjective
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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wilcox was choosing to reinforce a point that just because Amorim had been sacked and a caretaker boss was being sought, it did not mean the season was being written off.
From BBC
Lee writes that “historically, steep declines are followed by V-shaped recoveries,” as he thinks the U.S economy is equipped to deal with $100 oil.
From MarketWatch
“Moves in oil are the one to watch,” analysts at JPMorgan wrote in a note on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch
"Apollo Go, are you paralysed?" one person wrote on social media, alongside a video of unanswered calls to the company dialled from an in-car tablet.
From Barron's
Researchers value the decades of writing by former Mao personal secretary Li Rui for providing a rare insider’s view of relationships and discussions at the top levels of the Chinese Communist Party.
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.
