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View synonyms for

write-in

[rahyt-in]

noun

  1. a candidate or vote for a candidate not listed on the printed ballot but written onto it by the voter.

    Write-ins may swing the election.



adjective

  1. of, relating to, or for such a candidate or vote or a ballot so marked.

    a write-in campaign.

write in

verb

  1. to insert in (a document, form, etc) in writing

  2. (adverb) to write a letter to a company, institution, etc

  3. (adverb)

    1. to vote for (a person not on a ballot) by writing in his name

    2. to cast (a vote) for such a person by writing in his name

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of voting for a person by writing his name on a ballot

  2. a candidate or vote that has been written in

  3. ( as modifier )

    a write-in campaign

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of write-in1

First recorded in 1930–35
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Idioms and Phrases

Cast a vote by inserting a name not listed on the ballot, as in He asked them to write in his name as a candidate . [c. 1930]

Insert in a text or document, as in Please don't write in your corrections on the printed pages, but list them separately . [Late 1300s]

Communicate with an organization by mail, as in Listeners are being asked to write in their requests . [1920s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In 2010, she notched a rare write-in victory after losing the GOP nomination to a right-wing “tea party” Republican.

From

By the end of the presidential primary races in June, the movement had amassed over 750,000 "uncommitted," "uninstructed" or "no preference" votes, including write-in and blank-ballot protests in states without such options.

From

It was a write-in, as Martínez’s name was not on the ballot.

From

It quickly became the target of a massive write-in campaign protesting such candid talk about sex on television; the show was canceled after 14 weeks.

From

In 2016, while a member of Congress, Reichert called Trump’s candidacy “a joke” and declined to endorse or vote for him, saying he cast a write-in vote for Mike Pence, then Trump’s vice-presidential running mate.

From

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write-downwrite-in candidate