overlie

[ oh-ver-lahy ]
See synonyms for: overlieoverlayoverlying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),o·ver·lay [oh-ver-ley], /ˌoʊ vərˈleɪ/, o·ver·lain [oh-ver-leyn], /ˌoʊ vərˈleɪn/, o·ver·ly·ing.
  1. to lie over or upon, as a covering or stratum.

  2. to smother (an infant) by lying on them, as in sleep.

Origin of overlie

1
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English overlien, overliggen; see over-, lie2

Words Nearby overlie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use overlie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for overlie

overlie

/ (ˌəʊvəˈlaɪ) /


verb-lies, -lying, -lay or -lain (tr)
  1. to lie or rest upon: Compare overlay

  2. to kill (a baby or newborn animal) by lying upon it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012