1
: a vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate
2
: a candidate whose name is written in
wrote in; written in; writing in; writes in
1
: to insert in a document or text
2
a
: to insert (a name not listed on a ballot or voting machine) in an appropriate space
b
: to cast (a vote) in this manner
Examples of write-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Glueck, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
The Electric Light Tower wins in a landslide of write-in votes despite collapsing in 1915.
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
Maria Aspan, NPR, 7 Feb. 2025
Although many worked at least part of the following week, when the Labor Department conducted its employment survey, others couldn’t, Goldman Sachs wrote in a note to clients.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for write-in 
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Noun
Complicating the race for Democrats is the decision by Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit, a longtime Democrat who won his first race for mayor in a write-in campaign, to run for governor as an independent.
—Katie Glueck, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
The Electric Light Tower wins in a landslide of write-in votes despite collapsing in 1915.
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
These annual reports can run more than 100 pages long, and are typically written in dense, lawyered corporate-speak.
—Maria Aspan, NPR, 7 Feb. 2025
Although many worked at least part of the following week, when the Labor Department conducted its employment survey, others couldn’t, Goldman Sachs wrote in a note to clients.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for write-in
Dictionary Entries Near write-in
Cite this Entry
“Write-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/write-in. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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