1.
If you ~ to a company or organization, you send them a letter, usually asking for something.
He wrote off to the New Zealand Government for these pamphlets about life in New Zealand.
= write
PHRASAL VERB: V P to n, also V P
2.
If someone writes off a debt or an amount of money that has been spent on a project, they accept that they are never going to get the money back. (BUSINESS)
The president persuaded the West to ~ Polish debts...
PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P
3.
If you write someone or something off, you decide that they are unimportant or useless and that they are not worth further serious attention.
He is fed up with people writing him off because of his age...
His critics write him off as too cautious to succeed...
These people are difficult to ~ as malingering employees.
= dismiss
PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V n P as n/adj, V P n (not pron) as n/adj
4.
If someone writes off a vehicle, they have a crash in it and it is so badly damaged that it is not worth repairing. (BRIT)
John’s written off four cars. Now he sticks to public transport...
One of Pete’s friends wrote his car off there.
PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P
5.
If you ~ a plan or project, you accept that it is not going to be successful and do not continue with it.
We decided to ~ the rest of the day and go shopping...
The prices were much higher. So we decided to write that off...
PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P
6.
see also write-off