write off

write someone or something off

to drop someone or something from consideration. The manager wrote Tom off for a promotion. I wrote off that piece of swampy land as worthless. It can't be used for anything.

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write someone or something off (as a something)

1. . to give up on turning someone or something into something. I had to write Jill off as a future executive. The company wrote off the electric automobile as a dependable means of transportation. He would never work out. We wrote him off.

2. . to give up on someone or something as a dead loss, waste of time, hopeless case, etc. Don't write me off as a has-been. We almost wrote off the investment as a dead loss.

3. . to take a charge against one's taxes. Can I write this off as a deduction, or is it a dead loss? Can I write off this expense as a tax deduction?

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write something off

to absorb a debt or a loss in accounting. The bill couldn't be collected, so we had to write it off. The bill was too large, and we couldn't write off the amount. We decided to sue.

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write something off (on one's taxes)

to deduct something from one's income taxes. Can I write this off on my income taxes? I'll write off this trip on my taxes. Oh, yes! Write it off!

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write off (to someone) (for something)

to send a written request for something away to someone. I wrote off to my parents for some money, but I think they are ignoring me. I wrote off for money. I need money so I wrote off to my parents.

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write somebody/something off also write off somebody/something

to decide that someone or something is not important Most critics wrote him off as a minor artist until he received that huge grant. Everyone had pretty much written off the team after they lost their tournament last week. Americans no longer dream of their children becoming president - in fact, many write it off as not worth the effort.

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write off something also write something off

1. to accept that a debt will not be paid Last year the bank wrote off $17 million in bad loans. I'll probably never see the money I loaned my brother, so I guess I'll write it off.

2. to charge something as a business expense You can write off your cell phone and all the costs of service for it. I'm giving the furniture to a local church and writing it off as a donation.

3. to decide that something will not be successful For a long time, both political parties have written off the Greens. Since they behave oddly, people tend to write them off as weirdos, but many members of the group are important business people.

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