write-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈrīt-ˌin 

1

: a vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate

2

: a candidate whose name is written in

write in

2 of 2

verb

wrote in; written in; writing in; writes in

transitive verb

1

: to insert in a document or text

2

a

: to insert (a name not listed on a ballot or voting machine) in an appropriate space

b

: to cast (a vote) in this manner

Examples of write-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Barring a successful write-in candidate in the June primary, Lee and Powell will face each other in a November runoff. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026

Several potential reforms could address this vulnerability, including allowing write-in candidates in general elections, automatically elevating the third-place primary vote-getter when a primary winner withdraws, or abandoning the top-two system entirely to restore party-nominating primaries. —Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026

Verb

Prosecutors have written in court filings that a police K-9 picked up her scent at a boat ramp in Berkeley, California. —Michael Ruiz , Claudia Cowan, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

Rivers of Babylon, written in 1991 by the Slovak author Peter Pišťanek, tells the story of a young, simple-minded, and broad-shouldered ex-soldier called Rácz who leaves his impoverished village in the Slovakian countryside to work as the stoker of a hotel in Bratislava. —Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for write-in

• aneurin
• crystallin
• eosin
• mandolin
• porphyrin
• underpin
• violin
• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin

Kids Definition

write-in

1 of 2 noun

ˈrīt-ˌin

1

: a vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate

2

: a candidate whose name is written in

write in

2 of 2 verb

: to insert (a name not listed on a ballot or voting machine) in an appropriate space