Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

6 VERB When someone writes something such as a receipt or a prescription, they put the necessary information on it and usually sign it. □ [V n] Snape wrote a receipt with a gold fountain pen. □ [V n n] He wrote me a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication. [Also V n + for ] ● PHRASAL VERB Write out means the same as write . □ [V P n] We went straight to the estate agent and wrote out a cheque. □ [V n P n] Get my assistant to write you out a receipt before you leave. [Also V n P ]

7 VERB If you write to a computer or a disk, you record data on it. [COMPUTING ] □ [V + to/onto ] You should write-protect all disks that you do not usually need to write to. [Also V , V n + to/onto ]

8 → see also writing , written

▸  write back PHRASAL VERB If you write back to someone who has sent you a letter, you write them a letter in reply. □ [V P ] Macmillan wrote back saying that he could certainly help. □ [V P + to ] I wrote back to Meudon at once to fix up a meeting.

▸  write down PHRASAL VERB When you write something down , you record it on a piece of paper using a pen or pencil. □ [V P n] On the morning before starting the fast, write down your starting weight. □ [V n P ] Only by writing things down could I bring some sort of order to the confusion.

▸  write in

1 PHRASAL VERB If you write in to an organization, you send them a letter. □ [V P ] What's the point in writing in when you only print half the letter anyway? □ [V P + to ] So there's another thing that you might like to write in to this programme about.

2 PHRASAL VERB In the United States, if someone who is voting in an election writes in a person whose name is not on the list of candidates, they write that person's name on the voting paper and vote for him or her. □ [V P n] I think I'll write in Pat Wilson. □ [V n P ] I'm going to write him in on my ballot next year.

3 → see also write-in

▸  write into PHRASAL VERB If a rule or detail is written into a contract, law, or agreement, it is included in it when the contract, law, or agreement is made. □ [be V -ed P n] They insisted that a guaranteed supply of Chinese food was written into their contracts. □ [V n P n] I didn't write that into the rules but I don't think it's a bad idea.

▸  write off

1 PHRASAL VERB If you write off to a company or organization, you send them a letter, usually asking for something. □ [V P + to ] He wrote off to the New Zealand Government for these pamphlets about life in New Zealand. [Also V P ]

2 PHRASAL VERB If someone writes off a debt or an amount of money that has been spent on a project, they accept that they are never going to get the money back. [BUSINESS ] □ [V P n] The committee decided to write off this debt. [Also V n P ]

3 PHRASAL VERB If you write someone or something off , you decide that they are unimportant or useless and that they are not worth further serious attention. □ [V n P ] He is fed up with people writing him off because of his age. □ [V n P + as ] His critics write him off as too cautious to succeed. □ [V P n + as ] These people are difficult to write off as malingering employees.

4 PHRASAL VERB If someone writes off a vehicle, they have a crash in it and it is so badly damaged that it is not worth repairing. [BRIT ] □ [V P n] John's written off four cars. Now he sticks to public transport. □ [V n P ] One of Pete's friends wrote his car off there.