writing

noun

writ·ing | \ ˈrī-tiŋ

Definition of writing

1 : the act or process of one who writes: such as

a : the act or art of forming visible letters or characters specifically : handwriting sense 1

b : the act or practice of literary or musical composition

2 : something written: such as

a : letters or characters that serve as visible signs of ideas, words, or symbols

b : a letter, note, or notice used to communicate or record

c : a written composition

d : inscription

3 : a style or form of composition

4 : the occupation of a writer especially : the profession of authorship

writing on the wall

: an omen or sign of one's unpleasant fate No one told him he was going to be fired, but he could see the writing on the wall. [=he could see that he was going to be fired soon]

Examples of writing in a Sentence

Writing usually isn't a lucrative career, but it has been very fulfilling for me. He teaches creative writing at the university. Few people nowadays care about the art of letter writing. The novel's plot is okay, but the writing is horrible. I asked a friend to critique my writing. Her essay was a wonderful piece of writing. She has a unique writing style. Much of the best Japanese writing has not been translated into English. the writings of Benjamin Franklin a book of selected writings on moral philosophy

Recent Examples on the Web

Cyrus has also replaced her avatar on Twitter, but as of writing, all her tweets are still there. — refinery29.com, "Why Did Miley Cyrus Delete Her Instagram Posts? Fans Have A Few Theories," 14 July 2018 The writings of immigrants helped bring about American independence and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and have been responsible for bringing about social change and changing the course of American literature. — Michael Schaub, latimes.com, "Celebrate Independence Day with these 17 books by immigrant authors," 3 July 2018 Years have gone by since any new piece of writing has appeared by Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin. — Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, "Did Satoshi Nakamoto Write This Book Excerpt? A Wired Investigation," 1 July 2018 Editing and writing during award shows or reality TV recaps required my A-game, a.k.a. — Jenny Hollander, Marie Claire, "I Started Snacking Differently at Work and Got WAY More Productive," 20 Mar. 2019 If a year is too long to wait, in the meantime, assuage yourself with more writing from Ahern. Roar, a book of 30 short stories, bows April 16—and is already available for preorder. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "PS, I Love You, the Bestselling Book That Inspired a Hilary Swank Movie, Is Getting a Sequel," 13 Mar. 2019 Why didn't Ariel use writing to talk to Prince Eric? — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "11 Disney Movie Plot Holes That Will Forever Be Annoying," 30 Jan. 2019 The writing and voice acting are movie-quality good, and the story’s tragic arc is engrossing to the end. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Ars Technica’s best games of 2018," 24 Dec. 2018 Try signing up for a regular class, like pottery or writing, to routinely put yourself in an inventive space. — Sarah Richards, Woman's Day, "Quiet Your Mind in Anxious Times With These Expert Tricks," 14 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'writing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.