write

verb

1. produce a literary work; “She composed a poem”; “He wrote four novels”

   Synonyms

   • compose, pen, indite

   Less specific

   • create verbally

   More specific

   • draw, lyric, write on, write of, write about, profile, paragraph, paragraph, write off, dash off, scratch off, knock off, toss off, fling off, rewrite (more) , write copy, dramatize, dramatise, adopt, draft, outline, verse, versify, poetize, poetise, author, annotate, footnote, reference, cite, write out, write up, script

   See also

   • write out, write up

   Entails

   • spell, write

2. communicate or express by writing; “Please write to me every week”

   Less specific

   • communicate, intercommunicate

   More specific

   • write in, style, apostrophize, apostrophise, rewrite, sign, subscribe, type, typewrite, handwrite, jot down, jot, scribble, scrabble, write down (more) , set down, get down, put down, write out, issue, make out, cut, write up

3. have (one’s written work) issued for publication; “How many books did Georges Simenon write?”; “She published 25 books during her long career”

   Synonyms

   • publish

   Less specific

   • create verbally

4. communicate (with) in writing; “Write her soon, please!”

   Synonyms

   • drop a line

   Less specific

   • correspond

5. communicate by letter; “He wrote that he would be coming soon”

   Less specific

   • communicate, intercommunicate

6. write music; “Beethoven composed nine symphonies”

   Synonyms

   • compose

   Less specific

   • make, create

   More specific

   • counterpoint, set to music, arrange, set, score, melodize, melodise, harmonize, harmonise, instrument, instrumentate

7. mark or trace on a surface; “The artist wrote Chinese characters on a big piece of white paper”; “Russian is written with the Cyrillic alphabet”

   Less specific

   • trace, draw, line, describe, delineate

   More specific

   • dot, stenograph, calligraph, cross, superscribe, superscribe, capitalize, capitalise, letter, print, scribble, scrawl, copy, print, impress

8. record data on a computer; “boot-up instructions are written on the hard disk”

   Synonyms

   • save

   Less specific

   • record, tape

   More specific

   • overwrite

9. write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word); “He spelled the word wrong in this letter”

   Synonyms

   • spell

   More specific

   • spell out, hyphenate, hyphen

10. create code, write a computer program; “She writes code faster than anybody else”

    Less specific

    • create by mental act, create mentally