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.
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.
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.
–verb (used without object)
12.
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.
13.
to write as a profession or occupation: She writes for the Daily Inquirer.
14.
to express ideas in writing.
15.
to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter: Write if you get work.
16.
to compose or work as a writer or author.
17.
Computers. to write into a secondary storage device or output medium.
—Verb phrases
18.
write down,
a.
to set down in writing; record; note.
b.
to direct one's writing to a less intelligent reader or audience: He writes down to the public.
19.
write in,
a.
to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing his or her name on the ballot.
b.
to include in or add to a text by writing: Do not write in corrections on the galley.
c.
to request something by mail: If interested, please write in for details.
20.
write off,
a.
to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.
b.
to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget: to write off their bad experience.
c.
to amortize: The new equipment was written off in three years.
21.
write out,
a.
to put into writing.
b.
to write in full form; state completely.
c.
to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing: He's just another author who has written himself out.
22.
write up,
a.
to put into writing, esp. in full detail: Write up a report.
b.
to present to public notice in a written description or account.
c.
Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).
Origin: bef. 900; ME writen, OE wrītan; c. OS wrītan to cut, write, G reissen to tear, draw, ON rīta to score, write
write (rīt) v.
wrote (rōt), writ·ten (rĭt'n) also writ (rĭt), writ·ing, writes
v.
tr.
To form (letters, words, or symbols) on a surface such as paper with an instrument such as a pen.
To spell: How do you write your name?
To form (letters or words) in cursive style.
To compose and set down, especially in literary or musical form: write a poem; write a prelude.
To draw up in legal form; draft: write a will.
To fill in or cover with writing: write a check; wrote five pages in an hour.
To express in writing; set down: write one's thoughts.
To communicate by correspondence: wrote that she was planning to visit.
To underwrite, as an insurance policy.
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.
Computer Science To transfer or copy (information) from memory to a storage device or output device.
v.
intr.
To trace or form letters, words, or symbols on paper or another surface.
To produce written material, such as articles or books.
To compose a letter; communicate by mail.
To set down in writing.
To reduce in rank, value, or price.
To disparage in writing.
To write in a conspicuously simple or condescending style: felt he had to write down to his students.
To cast a vote by inserting (a name not listed on a ballot).
To insert in a text or document: wrote in an apology at the end of the note.
To communicate with an organization by mail: write in with a completed entry form.
To reduce to zero the book value of (an asset that has become worthless).
To cancel from accounts as a loss.
To consider as a loss or failure: wrote off the rainy first day of the vacation.
To express or compose in writing: write out a request.
To write in full or expanded form: All abbreviations are to be written out.
To write a report or description of, as for publication.
To bring (a journal, for example) up to date.
To overstate the value of (assets).
To report (someone) in writing, as for breaking the law. wrote him up for speeding.
Phrasal Verb(s): write down
To set down in writing.
To reduce in rank, value, or price.
To disparage in writing.
To write in a conspicuously simple or condescending style: felt he had to write down to his students.
write in
To cast a vote by inserting (a name not listed on a ballot).
To insert in a text or document: wrote in an apology at the end of the note.
To communicate with an organization by mail: write in with a completed entry form.
write off
To reduce to zero the book value of (an asset that has become worthless).
To cancel from accounts as a loss.
To consider as a loss or failure: wrote off the rainy first day of the vacation.
write out
To express or compose in writing: write out a request.
To write in full or expanded form: All abbreviations are to be written out.
write up
To write a report or description of, as for publication.
To bring (a journal, for example) up to date.
To overstate the value of (assets).
To report (someone) in writing, as for breaking the law. wrote him up for speeding.
Idiom(s):
write (one's) own ticketTo set one's own terms or course of action entirely according to one's own needs or wishes: an open-ended and generous scholarship that lets recipients write their own ticket.
Idiom(s):
writ largeSignified, expressed, or embodied in a greater or more prominent magnitude or degree: "The man was no more than the boy writ large"(George Eliot).
[Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan.]
Word History: Every western Indo-European language except English derives its verb for "to write" from Latin scrībere: écrire in French, escribir in Spanish, scrivere in Italian, scribaim in Old Irish, ysgrifennu in Welsh, skriva in Breton, skrifa in Old Norse, skrive in Danish and Norwegian, skriva in Swedish, schreiben in German, schrijven in Dutch. The Old English verb "to write" is wrītan, from a Germanic root *writ- that derives from an 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 wrītan 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 its verb for that concept from Latin legere.
To reduce the balance (that is, the book value of an asset or a group of assets) in an account to zero by recognizing the recorded value as an expense. For example, a firm may write off a technologically obsolete asset shown on its balance sheet as having monetary value. The asset will then be deleted from the balance sheet, and income during the period will be reduced (or losses will be increased) by an equivalent amount. Also called charge off.
Case Study
In September 2001 Blockbuster, Inc., announced it would write off $450 million in the value of its videotape inventory. Tapes that, depending on age, had each been carried at a value of $4 to $8 would be valued at $2 under the new policy. In addition, Blockbuster said it would reduce the number of old tapes in each store from 8,000 to 6,000, thereby eliminating a quarter of its inventory of older tapes. More profitable DVD rentals had become an increasing part of Blockbuster's business, and the firm decided to devote more shelf space to these items. The charge, taken against second-half earnings, caused Blockbuster to report a large loss when Wall Street analysts had been expecting positive earnings. The unexpected news caused the firm's common stock to fall in price by over 8% on the day of the announcement.
Main Entry: write–off Pronunciation: 'rIt-"of Function: noun 1: the elimination of an asset or amount due from the books 2:TAX WRITE-OFF
Main Entry: write off Function: transitive verb 1: to eliminate (an asset) from the books : enter as a loss or expense <write off a bad loan> 2: to use as a deduction in calculating taxable income <write off the cost as a business expense>
Reduce an asset's book value to zero because it is worthless, as in The truck was wrecked completely, so we can write it off. [Late 1600s]
Cancel from an account as a loss, as in Since they'll never be able to pay back what they owe, let's just write off that debt. [Late 1800s] Also see charge off, def. 2.
Regard as a failure or worthless, as in There was nothing to do but write off the first day of our trip because of the bad weather, or She resented their tendency to write her off as a mere housewife. [Late 1800s]
Amortize, as in We can write off the new computer network in two years or less. Also see charge off, def. 2.
[rahyt-awf, -of] 
