Dictionary

write off en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio

Meanings

1. (transitive) To reduce the book value of (an asset) to zero.
2. (transitive) To record (an expenditure) as an expense.
3. (transitive) To 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. To record a notional expense such as amortization or depreciation.
5. (transitive) To 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. (figuratively, transitive) To assign a low value to (somebody or something).
   • When Katya was injured, he wrote off the team's chances in the finals.
   • 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:
   • 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:

Forms

Coordinates

forgive · write down · disregard · write down · dismiss · forgo · discount

Deriveds

write-off · writeoff

Translations (38)

ru списа́ть (to record an expenditure as an expense) · pl odpisywać (to record an expenditure as an expense) · bg отпи́свам (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · nl afschrijven (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · pl odpisać (to record an expenditure as an expense) · da nedskrive (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · ru спи́сывать (to record a notional expense) · ru списа́ть (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · pl spisywać na straty (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · sv avskriva (to record a notional expense) · fi poistaa (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · de abschreiben (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · cs odepsat (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · fi alaskirjata nollaan (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · fi alaskirjata (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · ru спи́сывать (to record an expenditure as an expense) · sv skriva av (to record a notional expense) · pl stawiać krzyżyk (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · ru спи́сывать (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · ru списа́ть (to record a notional expense) · ru списа́ть (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · sv avskriva (to record an expenditure as an expense) · pl zaksięgować (to record a notional expense) · sv skriva av (to record an expenditure as an expense) · sv skriva av (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · sv avskriva (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · nl declareren (to record an expenditure as an expense) · pl księgować (to record a notional expense) · pl postawić krzyżyk (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · ru спи́сывать (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · pl odpisywać dług (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · bg отпи́ша (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · fi kirjata kuluksi (to record an expenditure as an expense) · bg отписвам (to record an expenditure as an expense) · it dare per perso (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · pl odpisać dług (to reduce an asset's book value to zero) · pl spisać na straty (to assign a low value to somebody or something) · fi alaskirjata (to record a notional expense)