UNDERWRITE (underwritten, underwrote)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: underwritten    , underwrote   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does underwrite mean? 

• UNDERWRITE (verb)
  The verb UNDERWRITE has 2 senses:

1. guarantee financial support of

2. protect by insurance

  Familiarity information: UNDERWRITE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UNDERWRITE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they underwrite    ... he / she / it underwrites   
Past simple: underwrote   
Past participle: underwritten   
-ing form: underwriting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Guarantee financial support of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

subvent; subvention; underwrite

Context example:

The opera tour was subvented by a bank

Hypernyms (to "underwrite" is one way to...):

guarantee; undertake (promise to do or accomplish)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue underwrite the movie

Sense 2

Meaning:

Protect by insurance

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cover; insure; underwrite

Context example:

The insurance won't cover this

Hypernyms (to "underwrite" is one way to...):

guarantee; warrant (stand behind and guarantee the quality, accuracy, or condition of)

Verb group:

cover (to take an action to protect against future problems)

compensate; cover; overcompensate (make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "underwrite"):

reinsure (insure again by assuming all or a part of the liability of an insurance company already covering a risk)

indemnify (secure against future loss, damage, or liability; give security for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

underwriter (a financial institution that sells insurance)

underwriter (an agent who sells insurance)

 Context examples 

An organization that underwrites financial support for projects of a particular type.

(Funding Agency, NCI Thesaurus)