write off

3 meanings

Meanings
  1. 1 decide that someone or something is useless or will not succeed B2
  2. 2 damage a vehicle so badly it cannot be repaired B2
  3. 3 accept that money owed or lost will not be returned C1
1 write sb/sth off

decide that someone or something is useless or will not succeed

B2

What does "write off" mean in this sense?

To write someone or something off means to make a firm judgment that they have no future, no value, or no chance of succeeding. It often carries the sense of a dismissal that is premature or unfair — if you write a team off after one bad result, you are declaring them finished before they've really had a chance. The phrase is very common in sports, business, and politics, where people frequently judge others too quickly. Interestingly, it is often used in the negative ('don't write them off') to challenge that kind of dismissive thinking. It can also appear in the pattern 'write someone off as something', meaning you label them as a failure or a lost cause.

Examples

How to use it

write off + noun object

Used when the object is a longer noun phrase; the particle comes immediately after the verb and before the object.

Commentators wrote off the young candidate after her first poor debate performance.

write + pronoun + off

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'write' and 'off' — it cannot come after 'off'.

A lot of investors wrote them off when the startup missed its targets, but the company recovered.

write + object + off as + noun/adjective

Use this construction to specify the label or category someone is being dismissed as.

The critics wrote her off as a one-hit wonder, but her second album proved them completely wrong.

be written off

The passive is very natural when the focus is on the person or thing being dismissed rather than on who is doing the dismissing.

The team was written off before the tournament even started, which only made their eventual victory more impressive.

don't write off + object / don't write + pronoun + off

The negative imperative is extremely common and is often used to argue that someone's dismissive judgment is too hasty.

Don't write off the project just because the first phase didn't go as planned.

Common Collocations

write off a playerwrite off a teamwrite off someone's chanceswrite off a careerwrite off an ideawrite off as a failure

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placement

When the object is a pronoun like 'him', 'her', or 'them', it must go between 'write' and 'off'. Placing it after 'off' is incorrect.

✗ Don't write off them so quickly.
✓ Don't write them off so quickly.
Confusing 'write off' with 'rule out'

'Write off' implies a subjective, often harsh judgment that someone or something has no future potential. 'Rule out' is more neutral and is used when something is eliminated based on facts or evidence, not a sweeping dismissal.

✗ The coach ruled him out as a lost cause after one bad match.
✓ The coach wrote him off as a lost cause after one bad match.
Using the wrong type of object

'Write off' in this sense takes objects like people, teams, ideas, or projects. Using objects like debts, expenses, or vehicles will shift the meaning to a completely different sense of the phrasal verb.

✗ They wrote off the loan after deciding it was hopeless. (This is actually the financial sense, not the dismissal sense.)
✓ They wrote off the startup after deciding it was hopeless.

Usage

This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works in both spoken and written English, including journalism and sports commentary. It often implies the speaker thinks the dismissal is unfair or premature, especially in negative forms like 'don't write them off'.

2 write sth off

damage a vehicle so badly it cannot be repaired

B2

Sense 2: What does "write sth off" mean?

To write off a vehicle means to damage it so severely in an accident that repairing it would cost more than the vehicle is worth — making it beyond economical repair. Insurance companies use this judgement to decide whether to pay for repairs or simply declare the vehicle a total loss. The expression is strongly associated with crashes, collisions, and other road accidents, and the object is always a vehicle — a car, van, motorbike, lorry, or similar. This is predominantly a British English expression; American speakers would typically say 'total' instead (as in 'He totalled his car'). The related noun 'write-off' is also very common, as in 'The car was a complete write-off.'

Examples

How to use it

write off + vehicle

The most common pattern, where the vehicle follows the particle directly — used especially with longer noun phrases.

She wrote off her brand new company car on the way home from the dealership.

write + vehicle + off

With short noun phrases, separating the verb is equally natural and very common in everyday speech.

He skidded on black ice and wrote the van off completely.

write + pronoun + off

When the object is a pronoun, separation is obligatory — the pronoun must come between the verb and the particle.

She only had the motorbike for three weeks before she wrote it off.

vehicle + be written off

The passive is very natural and common, especially when the focus is on what happened to the vehicle rather than who was driving.

Both vehicles were written off in the collision on the motorway.

write off + vehicle + in + accident/crash

It's common to state the cause of the damage using 'in' followed by the type of accident.

He wrote off the lorry in a crash on the ring road last winter.

Common Collocations

carbikevanaccidentcrashinsurance

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placement

When the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between the verb and the particle. Placing the pronoun after the particle is ungrammatical.

✗ She wrote off it in the accident.
✓ She wrote it off in the accident.
Confusing the vehicle sense with the financial sense

The same phrasal verb can mean to cancel a debt or write down a financial loss, which is a completely different meaning. If the object is a vehicle and there's a crash involved, you're using the right sense — but avoid using 'write off' with financial objects (like 'a debt' or 'a loss') when you mean physical damage to a vehicle.

✗ The insurance company wrote off £5,000 from the crash. (if you mean the car was destroyed)
✓ The insurance company declared the car a write-off after the crash.
Using continuous tenses

Because writing off a vehicle is typically an instantaneous event rather than an ongoing process, continuous tenses sound unnatural. Use simple tenses instead.

✗ He was writing off his car when the other driver pulled out.
✓ He wrote off his car when the other driver pulled out.

Usage

This is mainly British English — American speakers usually say 'total' instead (e.g. 'He totalled his car'). The noun form 'write-off' is also very common: 'The car was a total write-off.'

3 write sth off

accept that money owed or lost will not be returned

C1

Sense 3: What does "write sth off" mean?

To write off a debt or loss means to officially accept that money owed to you will never be recovered and to remove it from your financial records entirely. This typically happens when a creditor — such as a bank, company, or government — concludes that pursuing repayment is no longer realistic or cost-effective. The action signals a complete cancellation rather than a reduction in value; the amount is treated as gone. You will encounter this phrasal verb most often in financial journalism, corporate reporting, banking, and accounting, though it also appears in everyday conversation when someone accepts a personal financial loss. The noun form 'write-off' is equally common and worth knowing alongside the verb.

Examples

How to use it

write off + debt/loss/amount

The most common pattern, used when the financial object is a longer noun phrase and stays unseparated.

The government announced it would write off billions in outstanding student debt.

write + debt/loss/amount + off

Used when the object is a short noun phrase; separation is natural and common in this form.

The accountant recommended they write the bad debt off before the end of the financial year.

write + pronoun + off

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle — placing it after 'off' is ungrammatical.

The loans had been outstanding for over five years, so the bank wrote them off.

be written off (as + adjective/noun)

The passive is very natural in financial contexts where the focus is on the debt or loss rather than who made the decision.

The unpaid invoices were written off as unrecoverable at the end of the quarter.

write off + amount + against + tax/income

Used in tax contexts where a loss or expense is deducted against taxable income, a closely related financial application of this sense.

Small businesses can write off certain operating losses against their taxable income.

Common Collocations

bad debtlossesloansunpaid invoicesassetsmillions

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'write off' with 'write down'

'Write off' means the full and final cancellation of a debt or loss with no expected recovery, while 'write down' means only a partial reduction in an asset's recorded value. These are not interchangeable in accounting or financial contexts.

✗ The company wrote down the entire debt after deciding no payment would ever come.
✓ The company wrote off the entire debt after deciding no payment would ever come.
Pronoun placed after the particle

When the object is a pronoun such as 'it' or 'them', it must come between 'write' and 'off'. Placing the pronoun after 'off' is ungrammatical in English.

✗ The losses were so large that the firm decided to write off them.
✓ The losses were so large that the firm decided to write them off.
Using the present continuous in the financial sense

In the financial sense of formally cancelling a debt, the present continuous ('is writing off') sounds unnatural. Use the simple past, present perfect, or infinitive form instead.

✗ The bank is writing off the bad loans right now.
✓ The bank has written off the bad loans / The bank wrote off the bad loans.

Usage

This phrasal verb is most common in business, financial news, and accounting contexts. The noun form 'write-off' is also very frequent and useful to know (e.g. 'a tax write-off', 'declared it a total write-off').

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'write off' always imply that the dismissal is unfair?

Not always, but very often. The phrase is frequently used by speakers who think the judgment is too hasty or harsh, especially in the negative form 'don't write them off'. Even in neutral reporting, there is often an implicit suggestion that the dismissal might be premature — it would be unusual to use 'write off' to describe a judgment that the speaker fully agrees with.

Can 'write off' have other meanings? I've seen it used differently.

Yes, 'write off' has other senses — for example, it can describe damaging a vehicle beyond repair (mainly British English) or cancelling a financial debt. The sense on this page is specifically about dismissing someone or something as having no future potential. Context usually makes the meaning clear: if the object is a person, team, or idea, it's this sense.

Can I use 'write off' to talk about dismissing an idea, not just a person?

Absolutely. 'Write off' works very naturally with ideas, projects, plans, and strategies, as well as people and teams. For example, 'They wrote off the idea before even testing it' is completely natural. The key is that the object should be something that could theoretically succeed or have value — you are declaring that it won't.

Is 'prematurely write off' a common combination?

Yes, adverbs like 'prematurely', 'too soon', 'already', and 'entirely' are very commonly used with this phrasal verb. They emphasise that the dismissal happens too quickly or too completely. For example: 'The media prematurely wrote off her career after the scandal.' These adverbs typically go before 'write' or between the verb and the object.

Can this phrasal verb describe dismissing a whole group of people, like a generation?

Yes, and this is actually a very common use in journalism and public debate. You can write off a generation, a country, a community, or any large group. For example: 'Politicians were accused of writing off an entire generation of workers.' It works whenever someone is making a sweeping judgment that a group has no future or value.

Is 'write off' mainly British English? What do Americans say?

Yes, this sense of 'write off' is predominantly British English and is very common in everyday speech, news reports, and insurance contexts in the UK. American speakers typically use 'total' instead — for example, 'He totalled his car'. If you're writing for an American audience, 'total' would sound more natural.

Can 'write off' refer to any kind of vehicle, or just cars?

It can be used for any road vehicle — cars, vans, motorbikes, lorries, and trucks are all common. The key point is that the vehicle must be damaged beyond economical repair, not just dented or scratched. You wouldn't use it for minor damage.

Does 'write off' always mean the driver caused the accident?

No — the passive form 'was written off' is especially useful when you want to focus on the vehicle rather than assign blame. Saying 'the car was written off in the crash' is neutral about fault, while 'he wrote off the car' implies the driver was responsible.

What's the difference between 'write off' the verb and 'write-off' the noun?

The verb describes the action: 'She wrote off her car in the crash.' The noun 'write-off' (usually hyphenated) refers to the vehicle itself or the situation: 'The car was a complete write-off.' Both forms are very common, especially in insurance contexts.

Does 'write off' have other meanings, or does it always refer to vehicles?

No, it has other meanings too — for example, it can mean to cancel a financial debt or to dismiss someone as a failure. This page covers only the vehicle sense. Context usually makes the meaning clear: if a vehicle and a crash are involved, it's this sense.

Does 'write off' always mean cancelling a debt? I've seen it used differently.

No — 'write off' has other senses in English. It can mean dismissing someone or something as a failure (e.g. a person or an idea), or in British English it can refer to a vehicle being damaged beyond repair. The financial sense covered here always involves a monetary object: a debt, loan, loss, or specific amount of money being formally cancelled.

Is the passive form 'written off' common, or does it sound awkward?

The passive is actually very common in this financial sense — often more common than the active voice. In business reporting and accounting, the focus is typically on the debt or asset itself rather than on who made the decision, which makes the passive a natural and frequent choice.

What is the difference between a 'write-off' and a 'write-down'?

A write-off means the full cancellation of a debt or asset — it is removed from the books entirely because no recovery is expected. A write-down means the asset's value is reduced on the books, but it is not removed completely. In formal accounting, the two terms are not interchangeable.

Can 'write off' be used in tax contexts, or is it only about bad debts?

It is used in tax contexts too. Businesses can write off certain losses or expenses against their taxable income, meaning those amounts are deducted to reduce the tax owed. While slightly different from cancelling a bad debt, this tax sense is closely related and falls within the same broad financial meaning.

Is 'write off' mainly used in formal writing, or can I use it in conversation?

It is most at home in formal and semi-formal financial contexts — business journalism, corporate reports, banking discussions, and accounting. However, it does appear in everyday conversation when someone talks about accepting a personal financial loss, such as money lent to a friend that will never be returned. It is not slang or highly informal, but its natural habitat is financial and business language.

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