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-
: 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
These include spirals of English-language text that’s mostly unreadable, because the words are usually overwritten with other ones.
—
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Security camera footage showing work being done on a Boeing Max 9 door plug that later blew out mid-air has been overwritten, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
In the case of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, the jet’s cockpit voice recorder data was overwritten because of it has only a two-hour capacity.
—Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
The malware was installed remotely using malware tools that can read and overwrite parts of the UEFI firmware’s flash memory.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2023
Brooks' script is overwritten and conspicuously clever, with Sandler affectingly channeling the filmmaker's many speeches through his signature sentimental silliness to eye-opening effect.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2023
The current standard only records two hours and then overwrites the recording.
—Marisa Garcia, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Brickhouse said that even though this incident took place just minutes after takeoff, the cockpit voice recorder continued recording after the plane landed, and by the time investigators retrieved it, all of the audio from the incident had been overwritten.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024
The two-hour limit means that the recorder may be quickly overwritten even on short flights, especially if there are any delays on the runway.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Security camera footage showing work being done on a Boeing Max 9 door plug that later blew out mid-air has been overwritten, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
In the case of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, the jet’s cockpit voice recorder data was overwritten because of it has only a two-hour capacity.
—Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
The malware was installed remotely using malware tools that can read and overwrite parts of the UEFI firmware’s flash memory.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2023
Brooks' script is overwritten and conspicuously clever, with Sandler affectingly channeling the filmmaker's many speeches through his signature sentimental silliness to eye-opening effect.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2023
The current standard only records two hours and then overwrites the recording.
—Marisa Garcia, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Brickhouse said that even though this incident took place just minutes after takeoff, the cockpit voice recorder continued recording after the plane landed, and by the time investigators retrieved it, all of the audio from the incident had been overwritten.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024
The two-hour limit means that the recorder may be quickly overwritten even on short flights, especially if there are any delays on the runway.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overwrite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1820, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near overwrite
Cite this Entry
“Overwrite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwrite. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
overwrite
verb
over·write
ˌō-və(r)-ˈrīt
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
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