Onderschrijven

Onderschrijven is a Dutch verb meaning to write one’s name underneath a document, typically to indicate consent, endorsement, or commitment. The term is closely related to ondertekenen, but onderschrijven often carries a stronger nuance of endorsement or financial commitment, and it is commonly used in formal, legal, and financial contexts. The word can denote both signing a document and agreeing to its contents, as well as subscribing to or underwriting a financial obligation.

In legal and administrative use, onderschrijven refers to signing to confirm agreement or endorsement. A contract or deed may be onderschreven by parties to indicate their consent. The past tense form is onderschreef and the past participle is onderschreven, as in de clausules zijn door alle partijen onderschreven.

In financial contexts, onderschrijven means to subscribe to or underwrite a loan, issue, or securities. Investors or banks may onderschrijven een lening or een aandelenemissie, signifying their commitment to provide funds or guarantee the issue. The noun onderschrijving is used for the act or result of subscribing or underwriting.

Differences from ondertekenen: while both verbs involve signing, onderschrijven emphasizes endorsement or financial commitment, whereas ondertekenen is the more general term for signing a document with one’s name. In practice, onderschrijven is common in contracts, formal attestations, and financial instruments, while ondertekenen remains the standard term for everyday signing.