Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Underwrite \Un`der*write"\, v. i. To practice the business of insuring; to take a risk of insurance on a vessel or the like.
Underwrite \Un`der*write"\, v. t. [imp. Underwrote, Obs. Underwrit; p. p. Underwritten, Obs. Underwrit; p. pr. & vb. n. Underwriting.]
-
To write under something else; to subscribe.
What addition and change I have made I have here underwritten.
--Bp. Sanderson. -
To subscribe one's name to for insurance, especially for marine insurance; to write one's name under, or set one's name to, as a policy of insurance, for the purpose of becoming answerable for loss or damage, on consideration of receiving a certain premium per cent; as, individuals, as well as companies, may underwrite policies of insurance.
--B. Jonson.The broker who procures the insurance ought not, by underwriting the policy, to deprive the parties of his unbiased testimony.
--Marshall.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Old English underwritan "write at the foot of; subscribe;" see under + write (v.). A loan-translation of Latin subscribere (see subscribe). Used literally at first; modern sense of "to accept the risk of insurance" (1620s) is from notion of signing a marine insurance policy. Meaning "to support by a guarantee of money" is recorded from 1890.
Wiktionary
vb. 1 (context transitive English) To write below or under; subscribe. 2 (context transitive intransitive obsolete English) To subscribe (a document, policy etc.) with one's name. 3 (context transitive English) To sign; to put one's name to. 4 (context transitive English) To agree to pay by signing one's name; subscribe. 5 (context transitive English) Specifically, to assume financial responsibility for something, and guarantee it against failure. 6 (context intransitive English) To act as an underwriter. 7 (context transitive English) To support, lend support to, guarantee the basis of. 8 (context transitive English) To submit to; put up with.
WordNet
v. guarantee financial support of; "The opera tour was subvented by a bank" [syn: subvention, subvent]
protect by insurance; "The insurance won't cover this" [syn: cover, insure]
[also: underwrote, underwritten]
Usage examples of "underwrite".
She believes he told her that a chemical or pharmaceutical company of some kind had agreed to underwrite the venture.
NASA, in a time of lean budgets, refused to underwrite the further development of the Delta vehicle.
He had mentioned the one-to-one ratio simply as an unattainable opening salvo to establish one end-point to the range, however ridiculous that endpoint was, as any good negotiator would start a discussion, with the hope that Schuler might ultimately see his way clear to saying he could underwrite perhaps half a billion dollars.
And if, as you say, Chase commits to underwrite a billion dollars, you will receive an up-front fee of two percent.
Chase committed itself to underwrite a billion-dollar five-year revolver for the fund.
He raised the question about how they should be paid: At first thought it might be suggested that a fixed sum, plus a commission upon all over a certain amount raised should be given, but it would be infinitely more effective if some of the present donors to the Foundation would underwrite the Helen Keller campaign so that it could truthfully be said that her services had been contributed to the cause and that she received no portion whatever of the money raised during her tour.
Suppose the Nighthawks may have worked for the Crawler when it suited their purpose, perhaps to further some agenda of their own, or simply to underwrite their own needs?
His only chance now was to persuade Edward secretly to go against the decision of the partners, and underwrite the bonds without telling them.
Jack called some people and found he could underwrite a quarter of it by granting an exclusive news franchise.
He may have had to accept the sixth man if that man was the one who had underwritten the entire expedition.
In October the two went to New York, their expenses underwritten by John Spaulding.
For some reason, I jotted down the fact that a company by the name of Fire and Jce Pharmaceuticals had expressed an interest in underwriting the Chastain expedition.
Fire and Ice Pharmaceuticals, the company that had committed to underwriting the Third Expedition through the University of Portland had gone bankrupt a few months after the expedition was supposedly canceled.
Chengtu Airport bond underwriting in China to be brought to market later this year?
The powerful firm traced its origin to the Civil War and the underwriting of bonds for the Union to support its effort in winning the conflict.