overlay

¹ American  

[oh-ver-ley] / ˌoʊ vərˈleɪ /

verb

1. simple past tense of overlie.

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overlay ² American  

[oh-ver-ley, oh-ver-ley] / ˌoʊ vərˈleɪ, ˈoʊ vərˌleɪ /

verb (used with object)

overlaid, overlaying

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.

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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 British  

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

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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

Etymology

Origin of overlay

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

Example Sentences

The near-perfect overlay of the religious image with a political image is a visual synecdoche for the Revolution’s replacement of Christianity with the cults of Nature and Reason.

From The Wall Street Journal

Asset quality risks are likely to be benign, as banks remain well-provisioned and focused on tactical provisioning for specific accounts rather than broad macro overlays.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chan first came to attention for filming the children in his care and overlaying the video with audio.

From BBC

Disneyland is teasing additional “Star Wars” promotions in 2026, noting that the Hyperspace Mountain overlay of Space Mountain will return April 28.

From Los Angeles Times

Now Snap plans to release augmented reality glasses in 2026 that let people interact with digital images overlaid onto the physical world.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• superimpose