overlay

¹

[ verb oh-ver-ley; noun oh-ver-ley ]

verb (used with object)

, o·ver·laid, o·ver·lay·ing.

1. to lay or place (one thing) over or upon another.
2. to cover, overspread, or surmount with something.
3. to finish with a layer or applied decoration of something:

   wood richly overlaid with gold.

4. Printing. to put an overlay upon.

noun

1. something laid over something else; covering.
2. a layer or decoration of something applied:

   an overlay of gold.

3. Printing.
   1. a shaped piece of paper, or a sheet of paper reinforced at the proper places by shaped pieces, put on the tympan of a press to increase or equalize the impression.
   2. a method of preparing copy for multicolor printing, in which matter for each color is prepared on a transparent sheet that is placed over a key plate, usually the one to be printed in black.
   3. the sheet or sheets so prepared.
4. a sheet of transparent paper placed over a photograph, a dummy, or other artwork for noting corrections, instructions, mechanical separations, etc.
5. Computers. software or data in external storage and brought into main storage for execution by replacing or augmenting software or data already there.
6. a transparent sheet giving special military information not ordinarily shown on maps, used by being placed over the map on which it is based.
7. a decorative piece of leather or other material stitched on a shoe.
8. Scot. a cravat.

overlay

²

[ oh-ver-ley ]

verb

1. simple past tense of overlie.

overlay

verb

1. to lay or place something over or upon (something else)
2. often foll by with to cover, overspread, or conceal (with)
3. foll by with to cover (a surface) with an applied decoration

   ebony overlaid with silver

4. to achieve the correct printing pressure all over (a forme or plate) by adding to the appropriate areas of the packing

noun

1. something that is laid over something else; covering
2. an applied decoration or layer, as of gold leaf
3. a transparent sheet giving extra details to a map or diagram over which it is designed to be placed
4. printing material, such as paper, used to overlay a forme or plate

Word History and Origins

Origin of overlay¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; over-, lay ¹

Example Sentences

This is being made possible by way of a new “recipe” button overlaid on related TikTok food videos.

From TechCrunch

The team sketched out the idea by overlaying data about human behavior onto three well-studied wildlife corridors.

From Popular-Science

We’ve been creating edited video segments with Robert doing voice over and overlaying animation all of which we’ve been posting to social.

From TechCrunch

At times, the word is used as shorthand for images with overlaid text, but the core idea is that memes travel from one person to the next, online or off.

From Washington Post

A capture from BadVR’s augmented reality geospatial data environment, which allows users to visualize multiple live and historical datasets via overlays relevant to their environment.

From TechCrunch

The cards can also be coated with a thin corn-based plastic overlay.

From The Daily Beast

The Queen's couturier, Angela Kell, will create Prince George's replica, which will feature cap sleeves and a cotton lace overlay.

From The Daily Beast

Phillips mediates the darkness of the crime with an overlay of fiction.

From The Daily Beast

You can also overlay census data showing where the population of women of reproductive age (15–44) live.

From The Daily Beast

And the disclosure that Abedin is pregnant added an overlay of pathos to the seamy tale.

From The Daily Beast

No matter how much overlay you pile on top of such a phobia to suppress it, it will continue to haunt you.

From Project Gutenberg

The picture on the next stone, which is to overlay the first, gives more detail.

From Project Gutenberg

This is shown in the beaten bronzes, thin plates of which were used to overlay wooden forms.

From Project Gutenberg

Wind from the small end of the pointed tin tubes called lady lock sticks, and have each layer slightly overlay the preceding one.

From Project Gutenberg

But, it may be asked, what has become of the beds that overlay the granite?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• superimpose