writing

noun

writ·​ing ˈrī-tiŋ How to pronounce writing (audio)
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
3
: a style or form of composition
4
: the occupation of a writer
especially : the profession of authorship
Phrases
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His final writing credit was on Full House in 1990. Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025 Outside of writing, since Regas left his position at the Cincinnati Observatory in August of 2023 after nearly two and a half decades, he's spent more time podcasting and public speaking, including about 150 talks a year throughout the United States. Otto Rabe, The Enquirer, 23 Aug. 2025 The clip has generated plenty of attention online, leading to almost 100,000 views and nearly 6,000 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025 According to Opta, however, English players under the age of 23 (at the time of writing) played only 4.7 per cent of the total minutes in last season's Premier League. Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for writing

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of writing was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Writing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writing. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

writing

noun
writ·​ing
ˈrīt-iŋ
1
: the act or process of one that writes: as
a
: the formation of letters to express words and ideas : handwriting sense 1
b
: the art or practice of literary or musical composition
2
: something (as a letter or book) that is written or printed
3
: a style or form of composition
4
: the occupation of a writer

More from Merriam-Webster on writing

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