write

[rahyt] /raɪt/
verb (used with object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; written or (Archaic) writ; writing.
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.
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), wrote or (Archaic) writ; written or (Archaic) writ; writing.
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,
  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.
19.
write in,
  1. to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing his or her name 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.
20.
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.
21.
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.
22.
write up,
  1. to put into writing, especially in full detail:
    Write up a report.
  2. to present to public notice in a written description or account.
  3. Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).
Origin
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
Related forms
miswrite, verb (used with object), miswrote, miswritten, miswriting.
Can be confused
right, rite, wright, write.
Synonyms
6. compose, pen, author, draft, create.
Examples from the web for write
  • Lee had the presence of mind to include his full name and address so the finder of his note could write back.
  • Have students write their responses on a piece of paper.
  • Each group should write the names of the two events at the top of the paper.
  • If you're one of the few who can write a great paper on the first draft, great.
  • Then those same people write another paper citing themselves, ignoring everyone else, and get cited a bunch more times.
  • Have them write their name on a piece of paper and stand it up on their desk.
  • For those of us who still learned to write and draw on paper, the pen is a marvelous and precise input device.
  • Learning to write, by contrast, is a long-winded struggle that many fail to master even if given the opportunity.
  • In theory, there is a wide array of options, from extending maturities to imposing steep write-downs on the value of the debt.
  • They may even write the odd cheque to support their wives' bearded friends.
British Dictionary definitions for write

write

/raɪt/
verb writes, writing, wrote, written
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.
(transitive; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letter: he wrote that he was on his way
5.
(transitive) (informal, mainly US & Canadian) to send a letter to (a person, etc)
6.
to write (words) in cursive as opposed to printed style
7.
(transitive) 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.
(transitive) to fill in the details for (a document, form, etc)
10.
(transitive) to draw up or draft
11.
(transitive) to produce by writing: he wrote ten pages
12.
(transitive) to show clearly: envy was written all over his face
13.
(transitive) to spell, inscribe, or entitle
14.
(transitive) to ordain or prophesy: it is written
15.
(transitive) to sit (an examination)
16.
(intransitive) to produce writing as specified
17.
(computing) to record (data) in a location in a storage device Compare read1 (sense 16)
18.
(transitive) Compare underwrite (sense 3a)
See also write down, write in, write off, write out, write up
Derived Forms
writable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English wrītan (originally: to scratch runes into bark); related to Old Frisian wrīta, Old Norse rīta, Old High German rīzan (German reissen to tear)
Word Origin and History for write
v.

Old English writan "to score, outline, draw the figure of," later "to set down in writing" (class I strong verb; past tense wrat, past participle writen), from Proto-Germanic *writanan "tear, scratch" (cf. Old Frisian writa "to write," Old Saxon writan "to tear, scratch, write," Old Norse rita "write, scratch, outline," Old High German rizan "to write, scratch, tear," German reißen "to tear, pull, tug, sketch, draw, design"), outside connections doubtful. Words for "write" in most I.E languages originally mean "carve, scratch, cut" (cf. Latin scribere, Greek grapho, Sanskrit rikh-); a few originally meant "paint" (cf. Gothic meljan, Old Church Slavonic pisati, and most of the modern Slavic cognates).

For men use to write an evill turne in marble stone, but a good turne in the dust. [More, 1513]
To write (something) off (1680s) originally was from accounting; figurative sense is recorded from 1889. Write-in "unlisted candidate" is recorded from 1932.

write in Technology


1. Unix's simple talk command and protocol. write has been largely superseded by talk and then irc.
An enhancement, RWP, has been proposed.
2. A simple text editor for Windows.
(1998-04-28)

Idioms and Phrases with write

write

also see:
nothing to write home about
also see under:
wrote