write

One entry found for write.

Main Entry: write
Pronunciation: 'rIt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): wrote /'rOt/; writ·ten /'ri-t^&n /; also writ /'rit /; or dialect wrote; writ·ing /'rI-ti[ng]/
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wrItan to scratch, draw, inscribe; akin to Old High German rIzan to tear and perhaps to Greek rhinE file, rasp
transitive verb
1 a : to form (as characters or symbols) on a surface with an instrument (as a pen) b : to form (as words) by inscribing the characters or symbols of on a surface c : to spell in writing <words written alike but pronounced differently> d : to cover, fill, or fill in by writing <wrote ten pages> <write a check>
2 : to set down in writing : as a : DRAW UP, DRAFT <write a will> b (1) : to be the author of : COMPOSE <writes poems and essays> (2) : to compose in musical form <write a string quartet> c : to express in literary form <if I could write the beauty of your eyes -- Shakespeare> d : to communicate by letter <writes that they are coming> e : to use or exhibit (a specific script, language, or literary form or style) in writing <write Braille> <writes French with ease> f : to write contracts or orders for; especially : UNDERWRITE <write life insurance>
3 : to make a permanent impression of
4 : to communicate with in writing <we'll write you when we get there>
5 : ORDAIN, FATE <so be it, it is written -- D. C. Peattie>
6 : to make evident or obvious <guilt written on his face>
7 : to force, effect, introduce, or remove by writing <write oneself into fame and fortune -- Charles Lee>
8 : to take part in or bring about (something worth recording)
9 a : to introduce (information) into the storage device or medium of a computer b : to transfer (information) from the main memory of a computer to a storage or output device
10 : SELL <write a stock option>
intransitive verb
1 a : to make significant characters or inscriptions; also : to permit or be adapted to writing b : to form or produce written letters, words, or sentences
2 : to compose, communicate by, or send a letter
3 a : to produce a written work b : to compose music
- write one's own ticket : to select a course of action or position entirely according to one's wishes
- writ large : on a larger scale or in a more prominent manner <the problems of modern totalitarianism are only our own problems writ large -- Times Literary Supplement>
- writ small : on a smaller scale