Definition of "writedown" []

• An adjustment; a precise amount adjusted by an act of writing down or entering an asset and its value; a reduction of an asset, written down or otherwise recorded as such. (noun)

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• "It's also -- a writedown is the reduction in the value of your assets."
• "The other major contributor to the writedown was a decline in the Brick Group's market capitalization, which has remained below the carrying value of the group's net assets."
• "And while the writedown is a tacit acknowledgement that Alcatel overpaid for some Lucent assets, Verwaayen says cleaning up the balance sheets will help the company as it reorganizes and refocuses its strategy."