What does "write" mean?
The act or style of writing.
Write
/ɹaɪt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act or style of writing.
- Grammar: write is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: pen, compose, save, adapt.
- Useful contrasts: dictating, erase energy data, eraser use.
- Usage evidence: Most people write about their daily life.
How to use "write"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "write" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "write" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "write" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "write" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "write" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pen" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "write", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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."
- 2 The operation of storing data, as in memory or onto disk.
"How many writes per second can this hard disk handle?"
Verb
- 1 To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate. ambitransitive
"The pupil wrote his name on the paper."
- 2 communicate or express by writing wordnet
- 3 To be the author of (a book, article, poem, etc.). transitive
"My uncle writes newspaper articles for The Herald."
- 4 record data on a computer wordnet
- 5 To compose and send written information (to). intransitive
"Please write to me when you get there."
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 contact in writing wordnet
- 7 To compose and send (written information or a written message, e.g. a letter) to. ditransitive
"Please write me a letter. Please write a letter to me."
- 8 mark or trace words or symbols on a surface wordnet
- 9 To compose and send (written information or a written message, e.g. a letter) to.; To convey a fact to someone via writing. ditransitive
"Jimmy wrote me that he needs more money."
- 10 create code, write a computer program wordnet
- 11 To show (information, etc) in written form. transitive
"The due day of the homework is written in the syllabus."
- 12 produce a literary work wordnet
- 13 To be an author. intransitive
"I write for a living."
- 14 write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word) wordnet
- 15 To record data mechanically or electronically. intransitive
"The computer writes to the disk faster than it reads from it."
- 16 write music wordnet
- 17 To fill in, to complete using words. Canada, South-Africa, transitive, usually
"I was very anxious to know my score after I wrote the test."
- 18 To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave.
"truth written on the heart"
- 19 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."
- 20 To sell (an option or other derivative).
- 21 To paint a religious icon or a pysanka egg.
Example
"Most people write about their daily life."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "write"?
Common synonyms include: pen, compose, save, adapt, address an envelope, arrange.
How do you use "write" in a sentence?
Most people write about their daily life.
How do you pronounce "write"?
Pronounced /ɹaɪt/.
Etymology
From Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrītan, from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną (“to carve, write”), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey- (“to rip, tear”). Cognate with West Frisian write (“to wear by rubbing, rip, tear”), Dutch wrijten (“to argue, quarrel”), Middle Low German wrîten (“to scratch, draw, write”) (> Low German wrieten, rieten (“to tear, split”)), German reißen (“to tear, rip”), Norwegian rita (“to rough-sketch, carve, write”), Swedish rita (“to draw, design, delineate, model”), Icelandic rita (“to cut, scratch, write”), German ritzen (“to carve, scratch”), Proto-Slavic *ryti (“to carve, engrave, dig”), Polish ryć (“to engrave, dig”), Czech rýt (“to engrave, dig”). See also rit and rat.