write-off

1 of 2

noun

1
: an elimination of an item from the books of account
2
a
: a reduction in book value of an item (as by way of depreciation)
b
: a tax deduction of an amount of depreciation, expense, or loss
3
chiefly British : something (such as a damaged vehicle) or someone regarded or conceded as a loss

write off

2 of 2

verb

wrote off; written off; writing off; writes off

transitive verb

1
: to eliminate (an asset) from the books : enter as a loss or expense
write off a bad loan
2
: to regard or concede to be lost
most were content to write off 1979 and look optimistically aheadMoney
also : dismiss
was written off as an expatriate highbrow Brendan Gill

Examples of write-off in a Sentence

Verb most critics have already written off that director as a hack incapable of turning out anything but schlock that one blunder will write off to nothing all the goodwill we've been building up
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Holiday Haunt and Acme v. Coyote, the company saved millions of dollars that would have went to completing and the marketing the movies, on top of collecting hefty tax write-offs. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 As a result, vehicles suffering a collision may be more prone to a total write-off as the repair could cost more than its residual value. José Rodríguez Jr. / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news Nov. 10 that Warner Bros. intended to shelve Coyote vs. Acme for a tax write-off. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Tax write-offs are incentives that the United States government gives to business owners for running a business, since your business is helping grow the economy. Barbara Schreihans, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Like previous rounds, this latest write-off is a $1.2 billion campaign expenditure, one that doesn’t have to come out of the Biden campaign’s $56 million in cash reserves, or be raised with donation drives. Thomas Knapp, Orange County Register, 22 Feb. 2024 Nimona — which has LGBTQ themes that Disney executives wanted to downplay — seemed destined to become a tax write-off before Ellison scooped it up. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 Although the 2017 change in the tax law made more payments to the government nondeductible, payments of restitution are generally still fair game for tax write-offs. Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Thanks to the mortgage interest deduction, filers who choose to itemize their tax returns rather than take the standard deduction can deduct the entirety of their home interest payments in addition to taking other write-offs. Rob Wile, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2024
Verb
When consumers fail to repay their loans for a long time, banks write off the bad debt as a loss. Matt Egan, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Now, after years of inactivity making movies, and a steady stream of executive departures, much of the entertainment industry has written off Annapurna as a meaningful player. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Donald Trump obviously left office on a sour note in January 2021, written off by many opinion-makers and political professionals. Rich Lowry, National Review, 5 Mar. 2024 And why the Russians have, in the estimation of open-source analyst Andrew Perpetua, written off or abandoned 19 BMPs and BTRs in just the last two days. David Axe, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Her character was written off the show after Carlson opted not to renew her contract in 2017. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 For instance, last week IRS leadership said the agency will start up dozens of audits on businesses’ private jets and how they are used personally by executives and written off as a tax deduction. Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 To begin with, the rules cover only government payments, and some companies find ways to write off even the biggest payments. Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Your state will determine your ability to write off home-office expenses. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'write-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of write-off was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near write-off

Cite this Entry

“Write-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/write-off. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

write off

verb
1
: to take off the books : enter as a loss or expense
write off a bad debt
2
: to consider to be lost
the candidate has already written off the southern states
also : dismiss sense 3
wrote off my losing as bad luck

Legal Definition

write-off

1 of 2 noun
ˈrīt-ˌȯf
1
: the elimination of an asset or amount due from the books
2

write off

2 of 2 transitive verb
1
: to eliminate (an asset) from the books : enter as a loss or expense
write off a bad loan
2
: to use as a deduction in calculating taxable income
write off the cost as a business expense

More from Merriam-Webster on write-off

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