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 • Syn: write-in candidate • Derivationally related forms: write in • Hypernyms: campaigner, candidate, nominee 2. a vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate who is not listed on the ballot • Derivationally related forms: write in • Hypernyms: vote, ballot, voting, balloting