write off

verb

To reduce the book value of (an asset) to zero.

Similar
expensewrite down
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Meanings

verbwrite off (third-person singular simple present writes off, present participle writing off, simple past wrote off, past participle written off)

present singular third person writes off · participle present writing off · past wrote off · participle past written off

  1. transitiveaccountingTo reduce the book value of (an asset) to zero.
  2. transitiveaccountingTo record (an expenditure) as an expense.
  3. transitiveaccountingTo remove a portion of a debt or an amount of an account owed, counting it as a loss (as a gesture of goodwill for example).
  4. accountingTo record a notional expense such as amortization or depreciation.
  5. transitiveTo treat as a write-off, a total loss, especially something damaged beyond economic repair.

    The '800' received substantial collision damage, while the High Speed Train power car was written off.

    2020 May 20, “Fleet News: Collision-damaged '800' at Wolverton”, in Rail, page 25
  6. figurativelytransitiveTo assign a low value to (somebody or something).

    When Katya was injured, he wrote off the team's chances in the finals.

    3 more examples

    Hey, don't write yourself off yet / It's only in your head, you feel left out

    2001 July 24, Jimmy Eat World, “The Middle”, in Bleed American, DreamWorks, →OCLC

    Kei knew that the stepgirls saw her as a worrywart, that when it came to having fun, they had written her off as a lost cause.

    2003, Mako Yoshikawa, “New Jersey, 1974–82”, in Once Removed, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, →ISBN, pages 67–68

    They have shown their staying power before and it would be daft to write them off but it must be disturbing, nonetheless, for Mourinho that his team are five points behind already and locked in a game of catch-up against the side that has just subjected them to a rare, old-fashioned beating.

    2015 August 16, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian

Synonyms & antonyms

verbreduce the estimated value of something

Similar
expensewrite down
Broader
depreciate
Also see
expensewrite down

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Bulgarian отписвам, отпи́свам
  • отписвам (otpisvam)to record an expenditure as an expense
  • отпи́свам (otpísvam)to assign a low value to somebody or something
  • отпи́ша (otpíša)to assign a low value to somebody or something
Czech odepsat
  • odepsatto reduce an asset's book value to zero
Danish nedskrive
  • nedskriveto reduce an asset's book value to zero
Dutch afschrijven, declareren
  • afschrijvento reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • declarerento record an expenditure as an expense
Finnish poistaa, alaskirjata nollaan
  • poistaato reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • alaskirjata nollaanto reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • kirjata kuluksito record an expenditure as an expense
  • alaskirjatato record a notional expense
  • alaskirjatato assign a low value to somebody or something
German abschreiben
  • abschreibento reduce an asset's book value to zero
Italian dare per perso
  • dare per persoto assign a low value to somebody or something
Polish odpisywać dług, odpisać dług
  • odpisywać długto reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • odpisać długto reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • odpisywaćto record an expenditure as an expense
  • odpisaćto record an expenditure as an expense
  • księgowaćto record a notional expense
  • zaksięgowaćto record a notional expense
  • spisywać na stratyto assign a low value to somebody or something
  • spisać na stratyto assign a low value to somebody or something
  • stawiać krzyżykto assign a low value to somebody or something
  • postawić krzyżykto assign a low value to somebody or something
Russian спи́сывать, списа́ть
  • спи́сывать (spísyvatʹ)to reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • списа́ть (spisátʹ)to reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • спи́сывать (spísyvatʹ)to record an expenditure as an expense
  • списа́ть (spisátʹ)to record an expenditure as an expense
  • спи́сывать (spísyvatʹ)to record a notional expense
  • списа́ть (spisátʹ)to record a notional expense
  • спи́сывать (spísyvatʹ)to assign a low value to somebody or something
  • списа́ть (spisátʹ)to assign a low value to somebody or something
Swedish avskriva, skriva av
  • avskrivato reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • skriva avto reduce an asset's book value to zero
  • avskrivato record an expenditure as an expense
  • skriva avto record an expenditure as an expense
  • avskrivato record a notional expense
  • skriva avto record a notional expense
Cite this entry
APA

write off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/write%20off

MLA

“write off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/write%20off. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “write off,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/write%20off.

Source: write off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.