overlay
1to lay or place (one thing) over or upon another.
to cover, overspread, or surmount with something.
to finish with a layer or applied decoration of something: wood richly overlaid with gold.
Printing. to put an overlay upon.
something laid over something else; covering.
a layer or decoration of something applied: an overlay of gold.
Printing.
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.
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.
the sheet or sheets so prepared.
a sheet of transparent paper placed over a photograph, a dummy, or other artwork for noting corrections, instructions, mechanical separations, etc.
Computers. software or data in external storage and brought into main storage for execution by replacing or augmenting software or data already there.
a transparent sheet giving special military information not ordinarily shown on maps, used by being placed over the map on which it is based.
a decorative piece of leather or other material stitched on a shoe.
Scot. a cravat.
Origin of overlay
1Words Nearby overlay
Other definitions for overlay (2 of 2)
simple past tense of overlie.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use overlay in a sentence
This is being made possible by way of a new “recipe” button overlaid on related TikTok food videos.
TikTok partners with Whisk to pilot a recipe-saving feature on food videos | Sarah Perez | February 11, 2021 | TechCrunchThe team sketched out the idea by overlaying data about human behavior onto three well-studied wildlife corridors.
A new mapping method could help humans and wildlife coexist | Philip Kiefer | February 4, 2021 | Popular-ScienceWe’ve been creating edited video segments with Robert doing voice over and overlaying animation all of which we’ve been posting to social.
Robert Downey Jr. is launching a new ‘rolling’ venture fund to back sustainability startups | Jonathan Shieber | January 27, 2021 | TechCrunchAt 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.
The country is being buffeted by groups that couldn’t exist 30 years ago | Philip Bump | January 27, 2021 | Washington PostA 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.
BadVR is using government grants to build a business that’s independent of venture capital | Jonathan Shieber | December 31, 2020 | TechCrunch
The cards can also be coated with a thin corn-based plastic overlay.
Wood Cards Are a Green Alternative to the Classic Plastic Gift Card | Daniel Gross | November 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Queen's couturier, Angela Kell, will create Prince George's replica, which will feature cap sleeves and a cotton lace overlay.
Rihanna Gets Turned Away From Abu Dhabi Mosque; Prince George Will Wear Replica of Historic Royal Gown at Christening | The Fashion Beast Team | October 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTPhillips mediates the darkness of the crime with an overlay of fiction.
Murder, She Wrote: Jayne Anne Phillips on Her New Novel | Jane Ciabattari | October 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTYou can also overlay census data showing where the population of women of reproductive age (15–44) live.
Interactive: The Geography of Abortion Access | Michael Keller, Allison Yarrow | January 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd the disclosure that Abedin is pregnant added an overlay of pathos to the seamy tale.
No matter how much overlay you pile on top of such a phobia to suppress it, it will continue to haunt you.
The Memory of Mars | Raymond F. JonesThe picture on the next stone, which is to overlay the first, gives more detail.
This is shown in the beaten bronzes, thin plates of which were used to overlay wooden forms.
History of Ancient Art | Franz von ReberWind from the small end of the pointed tin tubes called lady lock sticks, and have each layer slightly overlay the preceding one.
Suppers | Paul PierceBut, it may be asked, what has become of the beds that overlay the granite?
A Book of the West. Volume I Devon | S. Baring-Gould
British Dictionary definitions for overlay
to lay or place something over or upon (something else)
(often foll by with) to cover, overspread, or conceal (with)
(foll by with) to cover (a surface) with an applied decoration: ebony overlaid with silver
to achieve the correct printing pressure all over (a forme or plate) by adding to the appropriate areas of the packing
something that is laid over something else; covering
an applied decoration or layer, as of gold leaf
a transparent sheet giving extra details to a map or diagram over which it is designed to be placed
printing material, such as paper, used to overlay a forme or plate
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
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