What does "write off" mean?

To abandon as a loss To accept that something is lost or cannot be recovered.

How do you use "write off" in a sentence?

We had to write off the debt. Don't write him off yet. They wrote off the project.

write off

Phrasal Verb BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Meaning: To abandon as a loss

放弃、注销

Dar por perdido

見切りをつける

손실로 처리하다, 포기하다

To accept that something is lost or cannot be recovered.

接受某物已经失去或无法挽回的事实。在财务上指注销坏账；对人或事物指认为没有希望而放弃。

Aceptar que algo se ha perdido o no puede recuperarse. En términos financieros, cancelar una deuda. Respecto a personas o proyectos, considerar que no tienen posibilidades de éxito.

何かが失われた、または回復できないと認めること。損失として諦めること。人に対しては「見込みがない」と判断すること。

무언가가 손실되었거나 회복할 수 없다는 것을 받아들이다.

Base verb: write

Particle: off

Separable: Yes — the object can go between the verb and particle

Examples

We had to write off the debt.
我们不得不注销这笔债务
Tuvimos que cancelar la deuda
その負債を損金処理せざるを得なかった
우리는 그 부채를 손실 처리해야 했다.
Don't write him off yet.
别这么快就放弃他
No le des por perdido todavía
まだ彼に見切りをつけるな
아직 그에게 포기하지 마.
They wrote off the project.
他们放弃了这个项目
Dieron el proyecto por perdido
彼らはそのプロジェクトを諦めた
그들은 그 프로젝트를 포기했다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: abandoning, loss, dismissing

Tone: pragmatic

✓ Do Say

Write it off
放弃它，认亏
Dalo por perdido
諦める、損切りする
손실 처리해

Origin & History

From accounting term for removing assets.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal