overwrite

[ oh-ver-rahyt ]

/ ˌoʊ vərˈraɪt /

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verb (used with object), o·ver·wrote, o·ver·writ·ten, o·ver·writ·ing.

to write in too elaborate, burdensome, diffuse, or prolix a style: He overwrites his essays to the point of absurdity.

to write in excess of the requirements, especially so as to defeat the original intention: That young playwright tends to overwrite her big scenes.

to write on or over; cover with writing: a flyleaf overwritten with a dedication.

verb (used without object), o·ver·wrote, o·ver·writ·ten, o·ver·writ·ing.

to write too elaborately: The problem with so many young authors is that they tend to overwrite.

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Origin of overwrite

First recorded in 1690–1700; over- + write

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use overwrite in a sentence

The mice became more likely to forget what they had learned about the maze, suggesting what Frankland characterizes as “rewiring” overwriting the recollections.
What happens to our lost childhood memories? Motherhood sent me looking for answers.|Missy Ryan|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
As in Word, if your chosen shortcut is already in use, Photoshop will warn you, and if you continue, the new action will overwrite the old one.
Master your Mac with custom keyboard shortcuts|David Nield|November 23, 2020|Popular-Science
Writing data to the drive could overwrite the files you’ve lost, so the gadget isn’t truly “safe to use” until you’ve recovered everything you need.
Did your hard drive crash? Here’s how to know if it’s safe to use again.|Whitson Gordon|October 9, 2020|Popular-Science
It uses more machine-learning algorithms to fuse new facts with old, creating new connections or overwriting out-of-date ones.
This know-it-all AI learns by reading the entire web nonstop|Will Heaven|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review

No hand had overwritten the label of that book there raising it to the peerage, as it were.
Angela's Business|Henry Sydnor Harrison
Here the city is all overwritten with black-letter, and the glad Italian sun makes the effect so much the stronger.
Passages From the French and Italian Notebooks, Volume 2|Nathaniel Hawthorne
In virtuality, the sequentiality of written language is overwritten by the very configurational nature of the context.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Last night they have overwritten all the city walls with 'Up with the republic!'
Life of Lord Byron, Vol. IV|Thomas Moore
The life of Borrow, unlike that of most famous men of letters, has not been overwritten.
Immortal Memories|Clement Shorter

British Dictionary definitions for overwrite

overwrite

/ (ˌəʊvəˈraɪt) /

verb -writes, -writing, -wrote or -written

to write (something) in an excessively ornate or prolix style

to write too much about (someone or something)

to write on top of (other writing)

to record on a storage medium, such as a magnetic disk, thus destroying what was originally recorded there

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012