- An example of write is to form the letters A, B and C with a crayon on a piece of paper.
- An example of write is to create a novel.
- to form or inscribe (words, letters, symbols, etc.) on a surface, as by cutting, carving, embossing, or, esp., marking with a pen or pencil
- to form the words, letters, or symbols of with pencil, chalk, typewriter, etc.; put down in a form to be read: to write a paragraph, a formula, etc.
- to form or inscribe (words) in cursive style
- to spell (a name, word, etc.): words written alike are often pronounced differently
- to know (a specific alphabet, language, etc.) well enough to communicate in writing
- to be the author or composer of (literary or musical material)
- to draw up or compose in legal form
- to fill in (a check, money order, etc.) with necessary writing
- to cover with writing: to write three pages
- to communicate in writing: he wrote that he would be late
- to communicate with in writing; write a letter or note to: write her before you go
- to entitle or designate in writing: he writes himself “Judge”
- to underwrite
- to leave marks, signs, or evidence of; show clearly: greed was written on his face
- to record (information) on a magnetic or optical disc, as in a computer hard drive, a CD or DVD, etc.: used with to: write a file to a disc
Origin of writeMiddle English writen ; from Old English writan, to scratch, engrave, write, akin to German reissen, to tear ; from Indo-European base an unverified form wer-, to tear off, scratch from source Classical Greek rhin?, a rasp
- to form or inscribe words, letters, symbols, etc. on a surface, esp. by making marks with a pen or pencil
- to form words in cursive style
- to write books or other literary matter; be an author or writer
- to write a letter or letters
- to be employed at written work, as a clerk, copyist, etc.
- to produce writing of a specified kind: to write legibly, a pen that writes scratchily
- to put into written form; write a record of
- to disparage or depreciate in writing
- to write in a pointedly simple style, as for readers considered to be less cultivated than the writer
- to reduce the book value of (an asset)
write (someone) into
- to cancel or remove from accounts (bad debts, claims, etc.)
- to drop from consideration
- amortize (sense )
- to put into writing
- to write in full
- to exhaust (oneself) of ideas by writing prolifically
write (someone) out of
- to write a record or account of
- to complete in writing
- to praise in writing
- to write a report on (a person or group), as for an infraction
- Accounting to increase the book value of (an asset)
verbwrote , writ·ten also writ , writ·ing, writes
- a. To form (letters, words, or symbols) on a surface such as paper with an instrument such as a pen.b. To form (letters or words) in cursive style, especially in contrast to printing by hand.c. To spell: How do you write your name?
- a. To fill (an amount of space) with words or information: wrote five pages in an hour.b. To put written information in the blank spaces of (a check, form, or similar document).
- a. To produce or compose (text) in a recorded form that can be read: write a poem; write a letter.b. To express in writing; set down: write one's thoughts.c. To communicate by writing, especially by written letter: She wrote that she was planning to visit.d. To communicate with (someone) by writing, especially by letter: wrote me to tell me she had moved again.
- To compose (a musical work).
- a. To underwrite, as an insurance policy.b. To compose in legal form; draft: write a will.
- To indicate; mark: “Utter dejection was written on every face” (Winston S. Churchill).
- To ordain or prophesy: It was written that the empire would fall.
- Computers To transfer or copy (information) from memory to a storage device or output device.
- To trace or form letters, words, or symbols on paper or another surface: people who cannot read or write.
- To produce written material, such as articles or books: She wrote for most of her adult life.
- To compose a letter, e-mail, or other written communication: Please write while you are away.
Origin of writeMiddle English writen, from Old English wr&imacron;tan. Word History: Every modern Indo-European language of Western Europe except English derives its verb for “to write” from Latin scr&imacron;bere: French écrire, Spanish escribir, Portuguese escrever, Catalan escriure, Italian scrivere, Irish scríobh, Scottish Gaelic sgrìobh, Welsh ysgrifennu, Breton skriva, Icelandic skrifa, Danish and Norwegian skrive, Swedish skriva, German schreiben, and Dutch schrijven. The English verb write, however, comes from Old English wr&imacron;tan, from the Germanic root *writ– that in turn comes from the Indo-European root *wreid– meaning “to cut, scratch, tear, sketch an outline.” German still retains this meaning in its cognate verb reissen, “to tear.” Only Old English employed wr&imacron;tan to refer to writing—that is, scratching on parchment with a pen. English shows a similar contrariness in its verb read, being almost the only western European language not to derive that verb from Latin legere.
- (intransitive) To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate.
- The pupil wrote his name on the paper.
- Your son has been writing on the wall.
- To be the author of (a book, article, poem, etc.).
- My uncle writes newspaper articles for The Herald.
- To send written information to.
- (UK) Please write to me when you get there.
- (US) Please write me when you get there.
- To show (information, etc) in written form.
- The due day of the homework is written in the syllabus.
- (intransitive) To be an author.
- I write for a living.
- (computing) To record (data) mechanically or electronically.
- The computer writes to the disk faster than it reads from it.
- (South Africa, Canada, of a form, a document, etc.) To fill in, to complete using words.
- I was very anxious to know my score after I wrote the test.
- To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave.
- truth written on the heart
- To make known by writing; to record; to prove by one's own written testimony; often used reflexively.
From Middle English writen, from Old English wrÄ«tan (“to incise, engrave, write, draw, bestow by writing"), from Proto-Germanic *wrÄ«tanÄ… (“to carve, write"), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey- (“to rip, tear"). Cognate with West Frisian write (“to wear by rubbing, rip, tear"), Dutch wrijten (“to argue, quarrel"), Dutch rijten (“to rip, tear"), Low German wrieten, rieten (“to tear, split"), German reiÃŸen (“to tear, rip"), Swedish rita (“to draw, design, delineate, model"), Icelandic rÃta (“to cut, scratch, write"), German ritzen (“to carve, scratch").