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.
They expect private credit defaults to rise and assets-under-management growth to slow, but write that this may not translate to lower credit availability overall.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Founded by serial entrepreneurs Jordi Hays and John Coogan in 2024, TBPN, which started with no guests, has since amassed some notable “friends of the show”, as the hosts write on their YouTube page.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
“And for this specific one, we didn’t know what to write about, and I just went to the studio, and I started reading some text messages.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
He recalls thinking, "it would be nice to write a short paper reporting the occurrence of these wasp nests in the mandibles."
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
“Most kids are forced to write letters way before they’re physically ready, but there’s no need to rush it.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
