transitive verb
1. : to commit to writing : record in written form
write down each letter as you receive it — Boy Scout Handbk.
instruments … which automatically write down their impressions of temperature — Waldemar Kaempffert
writes herself down as a United States citizen — Current Biography
2. : to record, regard, or reveal as being
not to be somewhat hilarious would be to write oneself down a bore — H.A.Overstreet
3.
a. : to depreciate, disparage, or injure by writing
has very properly written down his value as a straight novelist — Times Literary Supplement
b. : to reduce in status, rank, or value
the legal position of the service secretaries was therefore written down — T.K.Finletter
specifically : to reduce the book value of
write down an asset
c. : to play down in writing
each of the men's parts is deliberately written down to leave her role supreme — Times Literary Supplement
intransitive verb
: to write so as to appeal to a lower level of taste, comprehension, or intelligence : popularize or simplify unduly
unnecessary writing down to the juvenile audience — Anthony Boucher