English Phrasal Verbs (149/365) - Write Off Something (as Something)

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This BMW is considered to be a write-off or a total loss as repairing it would be impossible or extremely expensive.

To write off something (as something) means

A) to record a worthless asset as a loss

Example sentence:

• The whole storage building was written off as it was unusable and beyond repair because of the extensive moisture damage in it.

B) to record a loss or an expense as a reduction in earnings or in the value of an asset

Example sentence:

• To calculate taxable income some expenses may be written off while others may not.
• Banks had to write off a lot of bad debt as a result of the financial crisis.

C) to consider something a loss or failure

Example sentence:

• We wrote off the first day of our holiday in the Caribbean because we didn't do much else but sleep because of jet lag.

D) to consider something to be of no consequence

• The judges of the talent contest wrote him off as a one-trick pony at first.