Meaning & use
co-written
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“co-written” is a form of “co-write”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitive
written together by two or more people.
Grammar: Past participle used after be or have: 'It was co-written by a team.' The active form is co-write.
Patterns
- be co-written by someone
- co-written with someone
- have co-written something
The screenplay was co-written by the director and a novelist.
She has co-written three textbooks on climate science.
Their latest album was co-written with a famous producer.
Word forms
| base form | co-write |
|---|---|
| third person singular | co-writes |
| past tense | co-wrote |
| past participle | co-written |
| present participle | co-writing |
Common combinations
- co-written by
- The report was co-written by two university professors.
- co-written with
- The song was co-written with her brother.
- a co-written book
- They published a co-written book about modern art.
- co-written screenplay
- The co-written screenplay won an award.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jointly written
- More formal and often used in reports; co-written is shorter and common in arts contexts.
- collaborative
- Describes the whole process of working together, not just the writing.
Word family
Commonly confused: co-written or copyright?
co-written vs copyright
Copyright is a legal right over a work; co-written describes how a work was produced.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
After "was" we need the past participle co-written. "Co-wrote" is the simple past and cannot follow was in a passive sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “co-written”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.