Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

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overwrite, overwrites, overwriting, overwritten, overwrote

Synonyms: replace, supersede, erase, supplant, superimpose

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Antonyms: append, add, save, preserve, insert

The Verb Overwrite – Definition, Usage, and Clarification


The verb overwrite is an irregular verb that means to write on top of existing writing. Its most common and critical meaning today is in computing, where it means to replace data in a file or on a disk with new data, effectively destroying the original.


VERB FORMS


■ Base Form: overwrite
■ Past Simple: overwrote
■ Past Participle: overwritten
■ Present Participle/Gerund: overwriting


USAGE AND CONTEXT


While it can refer to handwriting, 'overwrite' is now overwhelmingly a computing term.


1. Computing and Data Storage
This refers to replacing old data with new data.


■ Files: 'Are you sure you want to save? This action will overwrite the existing file.'
■ Data: 'When you delete a file, the data isn't gone until the space on the hard drive is overwritten.'


2. Handwriting (Less Common)
This refers to physically writing new text on top of old text.


■ Correction: 'Her handwriting was so messy that she often had to overwrite letters to make them clear.'


ℹ IMPORTANT: COMPUTING CONTEXT


■ Destructive Action: In computing, 'overwriting' is a destructive and usually irreversible action. Confirmation dialogs ('Do you want to overwrite this file?') are common safeguards against accidental data loss.


■ Overwrite vs. Rewrite: 'To rewrite' means to write something again, which may involve changing it. 'To overwrite' specifically means to replace the old data with the new data in the same location.