overwrite

verb

over·​write ˌō-vər-ˈrīt 

ˌō-və-

overwrote ˌō-vər-ˈrōt 

ˌō-və-

; overwritten ˌō-vər-ˈri-tᵊn 

ˌō-və-

; overwriting ˌō-vər-ˈrī-tiŋ 

ˌō-və-

transitive verb

1

: to write over the surface of

2

: to write in inflated or overly elaborate style

3

: to replace information in (a computer file) with new information

intransitive verb

: to write too much or in an overly elaborate style

Examples of overwrite in a Sentence

The author has a tendency to overwrite.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the pages were erased, overwritten by the monks and then erased and overwritten on one side again, creating up to six layers of ink, said Hipparchus team member Uwe Bergmann, a University of Wisconsin physics professor and former SLAC scientist. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026

The surveillance system was set to overwrite data every 72 hours, and by the time the police accessed it, the footage was gone. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2026

Each procedure is customized to restore balance and vitality, rather than overwrite identity. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026

More generally, as DeSantis noted, an order overwriting state laws could pose questions about the separation of powers between both Congress and the executive branch, and strains on federalism. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for overwrite

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite

Kids Definition

overwrite

verb

over·​write ˌō-və(r)-ˈrīt 

overwrote -ˈrōt  ; overwritten -ˈrit-ᵊn  ; overwriting -ˈrīt-iŋ 

1

: to write over the surface of : write on top of

2

: to write too much or in an overly elaborate style

overwritten accounts of everyday events