write

The act or style of writing.

Noun

  1. The act or style of writing.
    • The pen also gives a better write than the ordinary counter pen. The ink stand cannot be stolen, for it is fastened to the counter or desk. - 1938, The Bankers Monthly, volume 55, page 591:
  2. The operation of storing data, as in memory or onto disk.
    • How many writes per second can this hard disk handle?
    • In other words, the system can do 1200 reads per second with no writes, the average write is twice as slow as the average read, and the relationship is linear. - 2006, MySQL administrator's guide and language reference,...

Origin

From Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrītan, from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną (“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”), Middle Low German wrîten (“to scratch, draw, write”) (> Low German wrieten, rieten (“to tear, split”)), German reißen (“to tear, rip”), Norwegian rita (“to rough-sketch, carve, write”), Swedish rita (“to draw, design, delineate, model”), Icelandic rita (“to cut, scratch, write”), German ritzen (“to carve, scratch”), Proto-Slavic *ryti (“to carve, engrave, dig”), Polish ryć (“to engrave, dig”), Czech rýt (“to engrave, dig”). See also rit and rat.

Forms

writes

Derived

quick-write torn write

Verb

  1. 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.
  2. To be the author of (a book, article, poem, etc.).
    • My uncle writes newspaper articles for The Herald.
    • Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language[…]; his clerks, however, understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or...
    • Since I had started to break down all my writing and get rid of all facility and try to make instead of describe, writing had been wonderful to do. But it was very difficult, and I did not know how I would ever write...
  3. To compose and send written information (to).
    • Please write to me when you get there.
    • Please write me when you get there.
    • He never phones me, but he does write occasionally.
  4. To compose and send (written information or a written message, e.g. a letter) to.
    • Please write me a letter. Please write a letter to me.

    1. (ditransitive with relative clause) To convey a fact to someone via writing.

      • Jimmy wrote me that he needs more money.
      • Do you know, one man actually wrote me he thought he could almost shave with the back of the blade, the lather "mellowed" his beard so. - 1916 March 11, “[advertisement] Jim Henry, Optimist”, in Saturday Evening Post:
  5. To show (information, etc) in written form.
    • The due day of the homework is written in the syllabus.
    • Ghana's motto, writ large on the gleaming white Independence Arch that overlooks the Atlantic in Accra, is "Freedom and Justice." - 1957 September 30, “Ghana: White Eminence”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN,...
    • The route passes over low-lying land, the only item of note being the Cerebos salt works at Greatham, where one may catch a glimpse of the smart black diesel locomotive emblazoned with the firm's name writ large. - 1959...
  6. To be an author.
    • I write for a living.
    • I said that I did not believe anyone could write any way except the very best he could write without destroying his talent. - 1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, page 151:
  7. To record data mechanically or electronically.
    • The computer writes to the disk faster than it reads from it.
  8. To fill in, to complete using words.
    • I was very anxious to know my score after I wrote the test.
    • Kúnlé had failed biology and chemistry, key requirements for admission into any medical school in the country. Kúnlé’s father wanted him to write the exams again. - 2023, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, A Spell of Good Things,...
  9. To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave.
    • truth written on the heart
    • 14 For when the Gentiles which haue not the Law, doe by nature the things contained in the Law: these hauing not the Law, are a Law vnto themselues, 15 Which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts, their...
  10. To make known by writing; to record; to prove by one's own written testimony; often used reflexively.
    • Thoſe walled garriſons will I ſubdue, And write my ſelfe great Lord of Affrica: So from the Eaſt vnto the furtheſt Weſt, Shall Tamburlaine extend his puiſant arme. - c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe],...
    • He who writes himself Martyr by his own inscription, is like an ill painter, who by writing on a shapeless picture which he hath drawn, is fain to tell passengers what shape it is, which else no man could imagine. -...
  11. To sell (an option or other derivative).
  12. To paint a religious icon or a pysanka egg.

Forms

writes writing wrote writ written ywriten no-table-tags glossary write writest wrotest writeth -

Synonyms

inscribe scrawl scribble author pen to post display indicate mark show save store sit write

Antonyms

load read retrieve

Hypernyms

author compose create

Hyponyms

copywrite versify

Related

handwrite

Derived

bewrite copy-on-write proxy co-write cross write don't forget to write forewrite ghost write ghost-write hand-written inwrite nothing to write home about overwrite read-write rewrite something to write home about teach to read and write that's all she wrote the jokes write themselves to write home about underwrite who writes this stuff write-ahead log write-ahead logging write-around