: a deliberate reduction in the book value of an asset (as to reflect the effect of obsolescence)
wrote down; written down; writing down; writes down
1
: to record in written form
2
a
: to depreciate, disparage, or injure by writing
b
: to reduce in status, rank, or value
especially
: to reduce the book value of
: to write so as to appeal to a lower level of taste, comprehension, or intelligence
Examples of write-down in a Sentence
Verb
a company forced to write down its assets
write down what you remember about that day
Recent Examples on the Web
Phisanu Phromchanya, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Niles said Nvidia is coming off a major write-down and that Microsoft is turning a corner with its Azure business.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 June 2025
Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
Create a family communication plan: NOAA said to take the time now to write down your hurricane plan, and share it with your family.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for write-down
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Noun
The company swung to a net loss of 4.6 billion baht in 2024 from a net profit of 7.6 billion baht a year earlier, due mainly to asset write-downs and weaker performance across most of its businesses, including renewables and EV batteries.
—Phisanu Phromchanya, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Niles said Nvidia is coming off a major write-down and that Microsoft is turning a corner with its Azure business.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 June 2025
Verb
There’s paper and pens – should a controller want to write down a call sign or something to jog their memory in the heat of the moment and runway-use memory aids.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
Create a family communication plan: NOAA said to take the time now to write down your hurricane plan, and share it with your family.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for write-down
Cite this Entry
“Write-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/write-down. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
write down
transitive verb
wrote down; written down; writing down
: to reduce the book value of (an asset)
write down accounts receivable
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