write

present singular third person writes · participle present writing · past wrote · archaic past writ · participle past written · archaic participle past writ · obsolete participle past ywriten · first person past singular wrote · archaic present second person singular writest · past second person singular wrote · archaic past second person singular wrotest · present singular third person writes · archaic present singular third person writeth · past singular third person wrote · past plural wrote · past subjunctive wrote

1. ambitransitiveTo form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate.

   The pupil wrote his name on the paper.

   1 more example

   Your son has been writing on the wall.

   Synonyms: inscribe, scrawl, scribble

2. transitiveTo be the author of (a book, article, poem, etc.).

   My uncle writes newspaper articles for The Herald.

   2 more examples

   Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language[…]; his clerks, however, understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there.

   1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC

   Since I had started to break down all my writing and get rid of all facility and try to make instead of describe, writing had been wonderful to do. But it was very difficult, and I did not know how I would ever write anything as long as a novel. It often took me a full morning of work to write a paragraph.

   1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 151

3. intransitiveTo compose and send written information (to).

   Please write me when you get there.

   3 more examples

   Please write to me when you get there.

   He never phones me, but he does write occasionally.

   Thinking him somewhat inclined to be angry with her, I wrote to him in such a way as I thought would not hurt his feelings as a brother, while giving him some good advice as my junior, and remonstrating with him as in the being wrong.

   1920, Cicero, translated by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh, The Letters of Cicero: The Whole Extant Correspondence in Chronological Order, volume 1 (hardcover), London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., page 2

4. ditransitiveTo compose and send (written information or a written message, e.g. a letter) to.

   Please write me a letter. Please write a letter to me.

   1. ditransitiveTo convey a fact to someone via writing.

      Jimmy wrote me that he needs more money.

      1 more example

      Do you know, one man actually wrote me he thought he could almost shave with the back of the blade, the lather "mellowed" his beard so.

      1916 March 11, “[advertisement] Jim Henry, Optimist”, in Saturday Evening Post

5. transitiveTo show (information, etc) in written form.

   The due day of the homework is written in the syllabus.

   2 more examples

   Ghana's motto, writ large on the gleaming white Independence Arch that overlooks the Atlantic in Accra, is "Freedom and Justice."

   1957 September 30, “Ghana: White Eminence”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Oct 2011

   The route passes over low-lying land, the only item of note being the Cerebos salt works at Greatham, where one may catch a glimpse of the smart black diesel locomotive emblazoned with the firm's name writ large.

   1959 August, K. Hoole, “The Middlesbrough–Newcastle Route of the N.E.R.”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 359

   Synonyms: display, indicate, mark, show

6. intransitiveTo be an author.

   I write for a living.

   1 more example

   I said that I did not believe anyone could write any way except the very best he could write without destroying his talent.

   1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, page 151

7. intransitivecomputingTo record data mechanically or electronically.

   The computer writes to the disk faster than it reads from it.

   Synonyms: save

8. CanadaSouth Africatransitiveusuallya documentTo fill in, to complete using words.

   I was very anxious to know my score after I wrote the test.

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   Kúnlé had failed biology and chemistry, key requirements for admission into any medical school in the country. Kúnlé’s father wanted him to write the exams again.

   2023, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, A Spell of Good Things, Canongate Books, page 132

   Synonyms: sit

9. To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave.

   truth written on the heart

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   14 For when the Gentiles which haue not the Law, doe by nature the things contained in the Law: these hauing not the Law, are a Law vnto themselues, 15 Which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witnesse, and their thoughts the meane while accusing, or else excusing one another:

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 2:14–15

10. To make known by writing; to record; to prove by one's own written testimony; often used reflexively.

    Thoſe walled garriſons will I ſubdue, And write my ſelfe great Lord of Affrica: So from the Eaſt vnto the furtheſt Weſt, Shall Tamburlaine extend his puiſant arme.

    c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii

    1 more example

    He who writes himself Martyr by his own inscription, is like an ill painter, who by writing on a shapeless picture which he hath drawn, is fain to tell passengers what shape it is, which else no man could imagine.

    1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC

11. businessTo sell (an option or other derivative).
12. chiefly Eastern OrthodoxyTo paint a religious icon or a pysanka egg.

plural writes

1. The act or style of writing.

   The pen also gives a better write than the ordinary counter pen. The ink stand cannot be stolen, for it is fastened to the counter or desk.

   1938, The Bankers Monthly, volume 55, page 591

2. computingThe operation of storing data, as in memory or onto disk.

   How many writes per second can this hard disk handle?

   1 more example

   In other words, the system can do 1200 reads per second with no writes, the average write is twice as slow as the average read, and the relationship is linear.

   2006, MySQL administrator's guide and language reference, page 393