Link Centre Dictionary

write-in

wri·tein

UK/ˈɹaɪtˌɪn/ uncommon
noun (2) verb (2)

noun

1.

a candidate for public office whose name does not appear on the ballot and so must be written on the ballot by the voters

Synonyms
2.

a vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate who is not listed on the ballot

verb

1.

cast a vote by inserting a name that does not appear on the ballot

  • “Many voters wrote in the names of strangers”
Synonyms
2.

write to an organization

  • “Many listeners wrote in after the controversial radio program”
Synonyms

Origin

Deverbal from write in. So called because anybody wishing to vote for such a candidate must explicitly write the candidate's name on the ballot.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.