writing

[ rahy-ting ]

/ ˈraɪ tɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR writing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that writes.

written form: to commit one's thoughts to writing.

that which is written; characters or matter written with a pen or the like: His writing is illegible.

such characters or matter with respect to style, kind, quality, etc.

an inscription.

a letter.

any written or printed paper, as a document or deed.

literary or musical style, form, quality, technique, etc.: Her writing is stilted.

a literary composition or production.

the profession of a writer: He turned to writing at an early age.

the Writings, Hagiographa.

Idioms for writing

writing on the wall. handwriting(def 4).

Origin of writing

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at write, -ing¹

OTHER WORDS FROM writing

self-writ·ing, adjective un·writ·ing, adjective

Words nearby writing

writer's block, writer's cramp, writerly, writhe, writhen, writing, writing case, writing desk, writing hand, writing on the wall, writing paper

Definition for writing (2 of 2)

write

[ rahyt ]

/ raɪt /

verb (used with object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

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.

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

to fill in the blank spaces of (a printed form) with writing: to write a check.

to execute or produce by setting down words, figures, etc.: to write two copies of a letter.

to compose and produce in words or characters duly set down: to write a letter to a friend.

to produce as author or composer: to write a sonnet; to write a symphony.

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

to cause to be apparent or unmistakable: Honesty is written on his face.

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

Stock Exchange. to sell (options).

to underwrite.

verb (used without object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

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.

to write as a profession or occupation: She writes for the Daily Inquirer.

to express ideas in writing.

to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter: Write if you get work.

to compose or work as a writer or author.

Computers. to write into a secondary storage device or output medium.

Verb Phrases

write down,

to set down in writing; record; note.
to direct one's writing to a less intelligent reader or audience: He writes down to the public.

write in,

to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing his or her name on the ballot.
to include in or add to a text by writing: Do not write in corrections on the galley.
to request something by mail: If interested, please write in for details.

write off,

to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.
to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget: to write off their bad experience.
to amortize: The new equipment was written off in three years.

write out,

to put into writing.
to write in full form; state completely.
to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing: He's just another author who has written himself out.

write up,

to put into writing, especially in full detail: Write up a report.
to present to public notice in a written description or account.
Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).

Origin of write

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

SYNONYMS FOR write

6 compose, pen, author, draft, create.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR write ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM write

mis·write, verb (used with object), mis·wrote, mis·writ·ten, mis·writ·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH write

right rite wright write

Example sentences from the Web for writing

True, this may not be what James Madison had in mind when he was writing the Bill of Rights.

Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too |John Avlon |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Both Ney and Abramoff have reentered the public spotlight following their sentences, writing books about their experiences.

Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv |Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
I started just writing these songs, at first it felt like a project or something.

Deer Tick's John McCauley on Ten Years in Rock and Roll |James Joiner |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
I wish I could be writing to you under better circumstances, but unfortunately those avenues have closed up.

Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen |Parker Molloy |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

Before his writing days, London used the Oakland establishment to conduct his studies.

The Bars That Made America Great |Nina Strochlic |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I dreamt of writing books, and I tried it, after taking my degree, but I did not succeed.

The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume III (of 8) |Guy de Maupassant
It would have delighted your heart to read it, were his words in writing to Baron Stockmar.

The Empress Frederick; a memoir |Anonymous
Among the ancients symbols were the original form of record, of communicating ideas, and of writing.

How to Read the Crystal |Sepharial
He supported himself for some time in London by writing plays and editing the Public Ledger.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3 |Various
Ellis, writing in 1765, supposes that they were the orifices of the cells occupied by the polypi.

The Ocean World: |Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for writing (1 of 2)

writing

/ (ˈraɪtɪŋ) /

noun

a group of letters or symbols written or marked on a surface as a means of communicating ideas by making each symbol stand for an idea, concept, or thing, by using each symbol to represent a set of sounds grouped into syllables (syllabic writing), or by regarding each symbol as corresponding roughly or exactly to each of the sounds in the language (alphabetic writing) See also ideogram

short for handwriting

anything expressed in letters, esp a literary composition

the work of a writer

literary style, art, or practice

written form give it to me in writing

(modifier) related to or used in writing writing ink

writing on the wall a sign or signs of approaching disaster

Word Origin for writing

sense 8: allusion to Daniel 5:5

British Dictionary definitions for writing (2 of 2)

write

/ (raɪt) /

verb writes, writing, wrote or written

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

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

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

(tr; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letter he wrote that he was on his way

(tr) informal, mainly US and Canadian to send a letter to (a person, etc)

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

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

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

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

(tr) to draw up or draft

(tr) to produce by writing he wrote ten pages

(tr) to show clearly envy was written all over his face

(tr) to spell, inscribe, or entitle

(tr) to ordain or prophesy it is written

(tr) to sit (an examination)

(intr) to produce writing as specified

computing to record (data) in a location in a storage device Compare read 1 (def. 16)

(tr) Compare underwrite (def. 3a)

See also write down, write in, write off, write out, write up

Derived forms of write

writable, adjective

Word Origin for write

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)

Idioms and Phrases with writing

write

In addition to the idioms beginning with write

write down
write in
write off
write one's own ticket
write out
write up

also see:

nothing to write home about

Also see underwrote.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

writing

noun

Idioms for writing

Origin of writing

OTHER WORDS FROM writing

Words nearby writing

Definition for writing (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

verb (used without object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of write

SYNONYMS FOR write

OTHER WORDS FROM write

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH write

Example sentences from the Web for writing

British Dictionary definitions for writing (1 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for writing

British Dictionary definitions for writing (2 of 2)

verb writes, writing, wrote or written

Derived forms of write

Word Origin for write

Idioms and Phrases with writing

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

writing

noun

Idioms for writing

Origin of writing

OTHER WORDS FROM writing

Words nearby writing

Definition for writing (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

verb (used without object), wrote or (Archaic) writ; writ·ten or (Archaic) writ; writ·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of write

SYNONYMS FOR write

OTHER WORDS FROM write

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH write

Content related to writing

Words related to writing

Example sentences from the Web for writing

British Dictionary definitions for writing (1 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for writing

British Dictionary definitions for writing (2 of 2)

verb writes, writing, wrote or written

Derived forms of write

Word Origin for write

Idioms and Phrases with writing