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overwrite

[oh-ver-rahyt]
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verb (used with object), o·ver·wrote, o·ver·writ·ten, o·ver·writ·ing.
  1. to write in too elaborate, burdensome, diffuse, or prolix a style: He overwrites his essays to the point of absurdity.
  2. to write in excess of the requirements, especially so as to defeat the original intention: That young playwright tends to overwrite her big scenes.
  3. to write on or over; cover with writing: a flyleaf overwritten with a dedication.
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verb (used without object), o·ver·wrote, o·ver·writ·ten, o·ver·writ·ing.
  1. 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. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for overwrote

overwrite

verb -writes, -writing, -wrote or -written
  1. to write (something) in an excessively ornate or prolix style
  2. to write too much about (someone or something)
  3. to write on top of (other writing)
  4. to record on a storage medium, such as a magnetic disk, thus destroying what was originally recorded there
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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

Word Origin and History for overwrote

overwrite

v.

1690s, "to write over other writing," from over- + write (v.). Of computers, it is attested from 1959. Meaning "to write too elaborately or ornately" is from 1923. Related: Overwriting; overwritten.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper