MEANING
There are clear signs that something is going to fail or come to an end.
Use it for
describing warning signs of collapse; showing that an ending has become foreseeable; portraying people ignoring obvious danger to an enterprise; distinguishing a clear warning from a vague worryNames clear warning signs of approaching failure or an ending. Writing functions: Warning of failure.
Words that belong together
- see the writing on the wall
- the writing was on the wall
On the page
Once its last distributor withdrew, the writing was on the wall for the magazine.
She saw the writing on the wall and began looking for a new post.
Word forms
- Base
- the writing is on the wall
Usage notes
Sentence idiom: the writing is/was on the wall. Also see or read the writing on the wall. US also the handwriting is on the wall. Register: neutral. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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