write

American  

[rahyt] / raɪt /

verb (used with object)

• writes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wrote,
  past
• writ,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• written,
  past participle
• writing
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to express or communicate in writing; give a written account of.

   She wrote to thank us for the hospitality.

3. to fill in the blank spaces of (a printed form) with writing.

   to write a check.

4. to execute or produce by setting down words, figures, etc..

   to write two copies of a letter.

5. to compose and produce in words or characters duly set down.

   to write a letter to a friend.

6. to produce as author or composer.

   to write a sonnet;

   to write a symphony.

   Synonyms:

   create, draft, author, pen, compose

7. to trace significant characters on, or mark or cover with writing.

8. to cause to be apparent or unmistakable.

   Honesty is written on his face.

9. Computers. to transfer (information, data, programs, etc.) from storage to secondary storage or an output medium.

10. Stock Exchange. to sell (options).

11. to underwrite.

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verb (used without object)

• writes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wrote,
  past
• writ,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• written,
  past participle
• writing
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to write as a profession or occupation.

   She writes for the Daily Inquirer.

3. to express ideas in writing.

   He wrote about his trip to Borneo.

4. to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter.

   Write if you get work.

5. to compose or work as a writer or author.

6. Computers. to transfer into a secondary storage device or output medium.

verb phrase

1. write up

   1. 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.

   2. to present to public notice in a written description or account.

   3. 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?

   4. Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).

2. write off

   1. to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.

   2. to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget.

      to write off their bad experience.

   3. to amortize.

      The new equipment was written off in three years.

3. write down

   1. to set down in writing; record; note.

   2. to direct one's writing to a less intelligent reader or audience.

      He writes down to the public.

4. write in

   1. to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing a full name rather than selecting an option on the ballot.

   2. to include in or add to a text by writing.

      Do not write in corrections on the galley.

   3. to request something by mail.

      If interested, please write in for details.

5. write out

   1. to put into writing.

   2. to write in full form; state completely.

   3. to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing.

      He's just another author who has written himself out.

write British  

/ raɪt /

verb

1. to draw or mark (symbols, words, etc) on a surface, usually paper, with a pen, pencil, or other instrument

2. to describe or record (ideas, experiences, etc) in writing

3. to compose (a letter) to or correspond regularly with (a person, organization, etc)

4. (tr; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letter

   he wrote that he was on his way

5. informal (tr) to send a letter to (a person, etc)

6. to write (words) in cursive as opposed to printed style

7. (tr) to be sufficiently familiar with (a specified style, language, etc) to use it in writing

8. to be the author or composer of (books, music, etc)

9. (tr) to fill in the details for (a document, form, etc)

10. (tr) to draw up or draft

11. (tr) to produce by writing

    he wrote ten pages

12. (tr) to show clearly

    envy was written all over his face

13. (tr) to spell, inscribe, or entitle

14. (tr) to ordain or prophesy

    it is written

15. (tr) to sit (an examination)

16. (intr) to produce writing as specified

17. computing to record (data) in a location in a storage device Compare read 1

18. (tr) Compare underwrite

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write Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing write

• nothing to write home about
• wrote

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• miswrite
  verb (used with object)
• writable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• writing
  present
• writ
  past
• written
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• write
  simple
• writes
  simple
• have writ
  perfect
• have written
  perfect
• has writ
  perfect
• has written
  perfect
• am writing
  progressive
• are writing
  progressive
• is writing
  progressive
• have been writing
  perfect progressive
• has been writing
  perfect progressive

Past

• writ
  simple
• wrote
  simple
• had writ
  perfect
• had written
  perfect
• was writing
  progressive
• were writing
  progressive
• had been writing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will write
  simple
• will have writ
  perfect
• will have written
  perfect
• will be writing
  progressive
• will have been writing
  perfect progressive

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”

Explanation

To write is to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. If you have trouble falling asleep, write down all the thoughts swimming around your head before getting into bed as a way to clear your mind. Write is the modern day spelling of the Old English writan, meaning “to score, outline, draw the figure of.” Now it has the sense of “to set down in writing.” You can write music, a short story, or computer code. You can write a letter, or write in cursive. You can write up an account of a burglary, or write down your feelings in a journal. Write on!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

write writes writ wrote written writing

While higher rates could hit gold prices, the downside looks limited as the debasement trade continues to attract investor buying, ANZ analysts write.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The precious metal faces limited downside due to the so-called dollar debasement trade continuing to attract investor buying, ANZ Research analysts write in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The programme was inspired by her father who couldn't read or write.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

"We do a lot of things at Dollywood. They asked me if I would write a song that nobody would ever hear," she told "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

I ask the photographer, from my perch at Theo’s desk, the one that I am supposed to be pretending is my own desk as I write fictitious letters to the boys on the front.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Investors should get ready to ride out the volatility this fall, Matt Gertken writes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

The re-hires should help Salesforce “make a bigger push selling its own AI solutions,” as well as products from companies it recently acquired, Gallo writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Guest: Adam Kinzinger, former Republican congressman and an Air Force veteran, host of The Kinzinger Report, writes about news, politics, and Trump on adamkinzinger.com.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Journalist Namita Bhandare who writes a popular column on gender issues in the Hindustan Times newspaper told the BBC that contrary to what people say, many "women in India of course swear, it's not new".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Being artistic, she writes in a beautiful script. So do we.”

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

At first, this motley crew of activists took care to insist they were not against data centers writ large.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

The government injected billions into banks, insurance giant AIG and the automobile industry to prevent the collapse of individual companies that would have jeopardized the economy and the financial system writ large if they failed.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

It represents a leap in the evolution of Saar’s work — her smaller scale imaginings now writ large.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

From the moment a writ is moved in Parliament - the process of formally triggering a by-election - it usually takes place between 21 and 27 working days.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

All the sudden Jimmy Blassingame’s face popped out of the hole that had the fancy three writ underneath it, the last hole on the right in the top row.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

"Recent data have reduced the immediate need for tighter policy, giving Warsh room to re-establish the Fed's inflation-fighting message without signalling imminent action," he wrote.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

I wrote that what had reappeared of the Jewish presence in ancient Nineveh had to be saved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Ben made his predictions while he was sitting at his drum kit - and wrote them on one of his drums.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

That’s why they deliberately wrote a scene in “Esta Isla” showing people getting water from a water truck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Elisha wrote, “if I had my way with you, I would send you to school and learn you to live your life over again.”

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

US Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis will issue a written ruling at a later date on whether to grant bail to the dual British-US citizens.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Sir Ridley says the film was inspired by Covid, but also the original book's context, having been written in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“And this went on every day, every few hours, each would have written another love note to the other,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

By the time a course is written and approved through a typically slow academic review, the teaching could be “out of date or in a different direction from the field,” Horn said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Had his destiny been written all those years ago?

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

The commission's four appointed experts were unable to agree on which approach to take and ended up writing two reports, submitted nearly six months behind schedule.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Faculty members in humanities, social sciences and arts have also weighed in, saying that verbal reasoning and writing skills were lacking too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Warsh spoke last year of writing an updated version of the 1951 accord.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

She was writing songs in support of gay family members back in 1991, the first mainstream country artist to do so.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

She’s writing in her notebook that matches mine as she waits in the lobby.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

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