write-down

1 of 2

noun

ˈrīt-ˌdau̇n

: a deliberate reduction in the book value of an asset (as to reflect the effect of obsolescence)

write down

2 of 2

verb

wrote down; written down; writing down; writes down

transitive verb

: to record in written form

: to depreciate, disparage, or injure by writing

: to reduce in status, rank, or value

especially : to reduce the book value of

intransitive verb

: to write so as to appeal to a lower level of taste, comprehension, or intelligence

Example Sentences

Verb a company forced to write down its assets write down what you remember about that day

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Erasing original shows from their libraries can help streamers get tax write-downs and, to a smaller extent, save on residual payments. —

R.j. Rico, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Apr. 2023 Companies that went public through mergers with special-purpose acquisition companies in recent years booked billions of dollars in goodwill write-downs in 2022, reflecting in part a reckoning of the heady premiums paid to secure deals during the SPAC boom. —

Mark Maurer, wsj.com, 6 Apr. 2023 In the years following the arrival of covid-19, China has been reluctant to grant loan write-downs or to restructure debts. —

Quartz, 3 Mar. 2023 But the real damage is the precedent the write-down may have set, said Benamou of Axiom Alternative Investments. —

Anna Cooban, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 The Supreme Court last month appeared likely to strike down President Biden’s $400 billion student loan write-down. —

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2023 And Ørsted announced a $366 million write-down for the value of one of those ventures in New York, citing several of the issues Avangrid faces. —

Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Mar. 2023 Despite box office grosses from Avatar: The Way of Water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever during the holiday period, AMC Entertainment Holdings has seen its fourth-quarter revenues fall and its net loss rise on a non-cash impairment write-down. —

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2023

Verb

Biden, according to Fitzsimons, came equipped with family stories written down over the years. —

Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2023 The Founding Fathers were wise to write down the rules. —

Dan Mclaughlin, National Review, 28 Mar. 2023 If you are offered any kind of compensation, McDaniel recommends writing down all the information. —

Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2023 Almost overnight, banks who had what looked like billions of dollars of assets on their balance sheet, were forced to write down (recalculate) these values. —

Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023 That’s why the decision to write down the bank’s riskiest debt — rather than its shareholders — provoked a furious response from some of Credit Suisse’s AT1 bondholders. —

Tasos Vossos, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2023 But as civilizations progressed, people started more regularly writing down medical records on clay tablets—think ancient civilizations like those in Egypt, Greece, and Rome—starting to keep more complicated records. —

Quartz Staff, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2023 Micron is also planning to write down inventory in its latest fiscal quarter and is reducing chip production amid a weaker market. —

Asa Fitch, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2023 West Allis police had McDonald write down information during a traffic stop in March 2022 and the FBI said his handwriting matched the racist notes. —

Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'write-down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.