Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

overwrite, overwrites, overwriting, overwritten, overwrote
Synonyms: replace, supersede, erase, supplant, superimpose

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 CONTEXTDestructive 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.


OVERWRITE - PRESENT SIMPLE
★ Ioverwrite
★ youoverwrite
★ he/she/itoverwrites
★ weoverwrite
★ you (plural)overwrite
★ theyoverwrite
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Present Simple
- I always overwrite the old file with the new one.
- You overwrite your notes with doodles.
- The new software overwrites the old version upon installation. | She overwrites her mistakes with correction fluid.
- We overwrite the data on the servers every night.
- You (plural) overwrite the backup tapes.
- They overwrite the existing records with updated information.
OVERWRITE - PRESENT CONTINUOUS
★ I amoverwriting
★ you areoverwriting
★ he/she/it isoverwriting
★ we areoverwriting
★ you areoverwriting
★ they areoverwriting
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Present Continuous
- I am overwriting the temporary file now.
- You are overwriting important data!
- The system is overwriting the old log files. | She is overwriting her previous draft.
- We are overwriting the content on the website's homepage.
- You (plural) are overwriting the configuration settings.
- They are overwriting the disk with random data to erase it.
OVERWRITE - PRESENT PERFECT
★ I haveoverwritten
★ you haveoverwritten
★ he/she/it hasoverwritten
★ we haveoverwritten
★ you haveoverwritten
★ they haveoverwritten
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Present Perfect
- I have accidentally overwritten the document I was working on all day.
- You have overwritten the master file.
- The virus has overwritten the boot sector of the hard drive. | She has overwritten her initial notes with new ideas.
- We have overwritten the backup from last week.
- You (plural) have overwritten the entire database.
- They have overwritten the original recording.
OVERWRITE - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I have beenoverwriting
★ you have beenoverwriting
★ he/she/it has beenoverwriting
★ we have beenoverwriting
★ you have beenoverwriting
★ they have beenoverwriting
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Present Perfect Continuous
- I have been overwriting the wrong file for the last ten minutes.
- You have been overwriting your own progress.
- The program has been overwriting the log files every hour. | She has been overwriting her old diary entries.
- We have been overwriting the same memory block repeatedly.
- You (plural) have been overwriting critical data.
- They have been overwriting the security tapes.
OVERWRITE - PAST SIMPLE
★ Ioverwrote
★ youoverwrote
★ he/she/itoverwrote
★ weoverwrote
★ you (plural)overwrote
★ theyoverwrote
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Past Simple
- I saved the document and overwrote the previous version by mistake.
- You overwrote the file I needed.
- He overwrote his manuscript with a new chapter. | The update overwrote my custom settings.
- We overwrote the data from the previous experiment.
- You (plural) overwrote the original recordings.
- They overwrote the old inscription with a new one.
OVERWRITE - PAST CONTINUOUS
★ I wasoverwriting
★ you wereoverwriting
★ he/she/it wasoverwriting
★ we wereoverwriting
★ you wereoverwriting
★ they wereoverwriting
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Past Continuous
- I was overwriting the file when the computer crashed.
- You were overwriting the system configuration.
- The virus was overwriting important system files, causing the computer to fail. | She was overwriting her notes.
- We were overwriting the data as part of the procedure.
- You (plural) were overwriting the hard drive.
- They were overwriting the memory addresses.
OVERWRITE - PAST PERFECT
★ I hadoverwritten
★ you hadoverwritten
★ he/she/it hadoverwritten
★ we hadoverwritten
★ you hadoverwritten
★ they hadoverwritten
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Past Perfect
- I had overwritten the only backup before I realized the original file was corrupted.
- You had overwritten the data before I could save it.
- He had overwritten the tape with a new recording. | The software had overwritten the user's preferences.
- We had overwritten the server logs.
- You (plural) had overwritten the drive.
- They had overwritten the evidence.
OVERWRITE - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I had beenoverwriting
★ you had beenoverwriting
★ he/she/it had beenoverwriting
★ we had beenoverwriting
★ you had beenoverwriting
★ they had beenoverwriting
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Past Perfect Continuous
- I had been overwriting the data for an hour before I got the error message.
- You had been overwriting the same file for a while.
- The system had been overwriting the critical data for hours before we stopped it. | She had been overwriting her draft.
- We had been overwriting the memory.
- You (plural) had been overwriting the logs.
- They had been overwriting the backups.
OVERWRITE - FUTURE SIMPLE
★ I willoverwrite
★ you willoverwrite
★ he/she/it willoverwrite
★ we willoverwrite
★ you willoverwrite
★ they willoverwrite
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Future Simple
- I will overwrite the old file when I save this one.
- Be careful, this action will overwrite the existing data.
- The installation will overwrite some of your system files. | She will overwrite her previous work.
- We will overwrite the database with the new information.
- You (plural) will overwrite the tape.
- They will overwrite the contents of the drive.
OVERWRITE - FUTURE CONTINUOUS
★ I will beoverwriting
★ you will beoverwriting
★ he/she/it will beoverwriting
★ we will beoverwriting
★ you will beoverwriting
★ they will beoverwriting
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Future Continuous
- I will be overwriting the old data with the new data stream.
- You will be overwriting your progress if you don't save to a new file.
- The update will be overwriting the old system files during the night. | She will be overwriting her notes.
- We will be overwriting the backups on a weekly schedule.
- You (plural) will be overwriting the entire disk.
- They will be overwriting the memory buffers.
OVERWRITE - FUTURE PERFECT
★ I will haveoverwritten
★ you will haveoverwritten
★ he/she/it will haveoverwritten
★ we will haveoverwritten
★ you will haveoverwritten
★ they will haveoverwritten
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Future Perfect
- I will have overwritten the file by the time you ask for the old version.
- You will have overwritten all your work.
- The process will have overwritten the entire hard drive by morning. | She will have overwritten the original manuscript.
- We will have overwritten the logs by then.
- You (plural) will have overwritten the drive completely.
- They will have overwritten the previous recording.
OVERWRITE - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I will have beenoverwriting
★ you will have beenoverwriting
★ he/she/it will have beenoverwriting
★ we will have beenoverwriting
★ you will have beenoverwriting
★ they will have beenoverwriting
Examples of the verb 'overwrite' in the Future Perfect Continuous
- By the end of the process, the software will have been overwriting the old archives for an hour.
- You will have been overwriting the files for some time.
- The system will have been overwriting its own logs for its entire uptime.
- We will have been overwriting the data.
- You (plural) will have been overwriting the tapes for hours.
- They will have been overwriting the disk.

Conjugation of the verb To Overwrite