layer
Americannoun
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a thickness of some material laid on or spread over a surface.
a layer of soot on the windowsill; two layers of paint.
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something lying over or under something else; a level or tier.
There can be multiple layers of metaphor in a single poem.
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a bed; stratum.
alternating layers of basalt and sandstone.
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a person or thing that lays (often used in combination): a bricklayer.
a carpet layer;
a bricklayer.
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a hen kept for egg production.
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one of several items of clothing worn one on top of the other.
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Horticulture.
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a shoot or twig that is induced to root while still attached to the living stock, as by bending and covering with soil.
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a plant so propagated.
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Ropemaking. a machine for laying rope or cable.
verb (used with object)
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to make a layer of.
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to form or arrange in layers.
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to arrange or wear (clothing) in layers.
You can layer this vest over a blouse or sweater.
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to cut (hair) in overlapping layers of different lengths.
My hairdresser insisted on layering my hair at my last visit—I rather like it this way.
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Horticulture. to propagate by layering.
verb (used without object)
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to separate into or form layers.
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(of a garment) to permit of wearing in layers; be used in layering.
Frilly blouses don't layer well.
noun
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a thickness of some homogeneous substance, such as a stratum or a coating on a surface
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one of four or more levels of vegetation defined in ecological studies: the ground or moss layer, the field or herb layer, the shrub layer, and one or more tree layers
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a laying hen
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horticulture
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a shoot or branch rooted during layering
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a plant produced as a result of layering
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verb
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to form or make a layer of (something)
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to take root or cause to take root by layering
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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layersimple
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layerssimple
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have layeredperfect
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has layeredperfect
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am layeringprogressive
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are layeringprogressive
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is layeringprogressive
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have been layeringperfect progressive
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has been layeringperfect progressive
Past
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layeredsimple
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had layeredperfect
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was layeringprogressive
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were layeringprogressive
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had been layeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of layer
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English leyer, legger; see origin at lay 1, -er 1
Explanation
The noun layer describes a thin piece that's stacked on other thin pieces, like a layer of noodles in a lasagna dish. You can also apply a layer of paint to make your wall color more vivid. Layer can also be used figuratively to describe an abstract thickness or barrier. Celebrities are known to surround themselves with managers, agents, stylists, and friends — forming a layer between them and the prying public. Layer can also be a verb. You can layer your bed with blankets on a cold night, as a layer of ice forms on the sidewalks and streets outside.
Vocabulary lists containing layer
"Volcano!"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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The Mark of Athena
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Scholars said the U.S. government’s support for these groups could give them a layer of legitimacy they wouldn’t otherwise have.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
For people in the U.S. trying to figure out how to safely eat lettuce amid the outbreak, this is yet another layer to a complex story.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
It means £238m a year will be reserved for the entry-level payment - known as the scheme's universal layer.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The material came from a thin layer of clay deposited around the world after the impact.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
A layer of dust filmed the floor, and cobwebs drifted in every corner.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
It was such a collision of multiple layers that you cannot plan, you can’t prepare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
When Microsoft’s Xbox division said in early July that it would lay off 3,200 people, for instance, it pledged to cut management layers to between three and five.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Avoid brushing the cut edges, which can prevent the layers from rising freely.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
A further £102m will go towards optional and collaborative layers - where farms can choose additional, more ambitious environmental work for extra cash.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
I had bundled myself in three layers of clothes and tugged on my warmest fur hat, but even that wasn’t enough to keep out the wind.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Over time, material such as pollen, sand, plant remains, and organic matter settles at the bottom of a lake, building a layered record of past environmental conditions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Together, they form a layered national observance that blends official programming, political messaging and large-scale public spectacle.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
The Washington monument is both architecture and sculpture, a powerful symbol with layered meanings for different generations from Washington’s time to ours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
U.S. procurement cycles are longer and more layered than those in countries operating under active threat.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
I’ve known her since middle school, when I bumped into her at the bathroom mirror while she layered on eyeliner.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
The New York-born singer gained fame by layering his own music over clips of the popular video game “Fortnite” and with the viral TikTok track “Romantic Homicide.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“We treat developers like public services instead of businesses, layering on expectation after expectation,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
From the scaffolding, restorers have been meticulously filling in damaged portions of the frescoes and conservatively layering paint over bare sections with delicate brushes, their hands protected by gloves.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
If so, then we’re layering another dimension of time onto something that was supposed to be timeless in the literal sense.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
They found the cleverness of their forebears’ music, with its fugues, its interweaving counterpoint, its layering upon layer of sounds, too academic and dry, rather like student exercises.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
