writer

[ rahy-ter ]

/ ˈraɪ tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR writer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person engaged in writing books, articles, stories, etc., especially as an occupation or profession; an author or journalist.

a clerk, scribe, or the like.

a person who commits his or her thoughts, ideas, etc., to writing: an expert letter writer.

(in a piece of writing) the author (used as a circumlocution for “I,” “me,” “my,” etc.): The writer wishes to state….

a person who writes or is able to write: a writer in script.

Stock Exchange. someone who sells options.

Scot. a lawyer or solicitor.

Nearby words

Origin of writer

before 900; Middle English, Old English wrītere. See write, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for writer

In his view, a writer has only one duty: to be present in his books.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Spencer, 27, is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.
Meet Stephen Fry’s Future Husband (Who Is Less Than Half His Age)|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His father, a writer, and his mother, who worked in insurance, were flawless.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player|William O’Connor|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Can you imagine Superman being handed over to a writer just a notch above amateur?
Wonder Woman Takes a Big Step Back|Hugh Ryan|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

From writer Gail Simone to artist Fiona Staples, there are incredible women already working in the industry.
Wonder Woman Takes a Big Step Back|Hugh Ryan|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the letter was, as you may imagine, written so that the writer should come to no harm were it intercepted.
Barry Lyndon|William Makepeace Thackeray
The writer says that this was when Solomon was old, his wives having then turned away his heart after other gods.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
The cost of some headings in the new red sandstone which the writer recently inspected, varied from 30s.
Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells|Ernest Spon
The perception of manifoldness is Maya or illusion, says a modern pro-Hindu writer.
New Ideas in India During the Nineteenth Century|John Morrison
Even so artificial a writer as Wilde had not to labour to be witty.
The Art of Letters|Robert Lynd

British Dictionary definitions for writer

writer

/ (ˈraɪtə) /

noun

a person who writes books, articles, etc, esp as an occupation

the person who has written something specified

a person who is able to write or write well

a scribe or clerk

a composer of music

Scot a legal practitioner, such as a notary or solicitor

Writer to the Signet (in Scotland) a member of an ancient society of solicitors, now having the exclusive privilege of preparing crown writs

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

Word Origin and History for writer

writer

Old English writere "one who can write, clerk; one who produces books or literary compositions," agent noun from writan (see write (v.)). Meaning "sign-painter" is from 1837. Writer's cramp attested by 1853; writer's block by 1950.

writer

noun

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Origin of writer

Examples from the Web for writer

writer

noun

writer