- past tense form of overlie.
overlay
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
overlays
plural
-
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.
verb
verb
-
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
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of overlay
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at over-, lay 1
Explanation
To overlay is to cover with a coating or a layer, or to set one thing on top of another. A winter storm will sometimes overlay a dangerously slick coating of ice on top of the road. An artist might overlay a ceramic object with gold, or overlay one piece of paper on another in a collage. The layer itself, whether it's clear plastic or cement or silver, is also called an overlay. Another kind of overlay, dating from the 1930s, is the transparent sheet of paper in a book that covers a map or other full-page illustration.
Vocabulary lists containing overlay
"The Pale Mare" and "Caged Bird"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beyond the Bright Sea
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Loser
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
A series of colorful circles overlay Lee’s ink sketches.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
But a digital forensics expert told AFP's fact-checkers that the anomaly was the result of a failed text overlay by a news station that had syndicated the official feed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
Wright adopted Caravaggio’s lead white ground and midbrown overlay, as well as his flushed cheeks, pale necks and fleshy pink velvets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
“I m not sure why he was sanctimonious and agressive when detailing the harvey weinstein allegations,” Epstein wrote. “now watching the overlay , its amazing.”
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
An overlay of the stadium’s blueprint hovers faintly over everything.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital displays against real-world surroundings.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
The imagery is convincingly mirror-like—reversed—with eye-like focal length, decent resolution and lowlight sensitivity, making it easy to trust when judging distances, with the help of graphical overlays and warning tones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
The newest tax strategies for investors are actively managed long/short SMAs and options overlays.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
Then, with what it deduces about an individual's personality, the AI overlays that on top of what advertisers already know about people.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
I stare at the overlays on the tinted windows, currently showing an empty car interior so that no one will be able to see us both inside.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Like other smart glasses, Specs will use AI to let people see digital elements overlaid onto the world.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Another post showed a map of North America - including Canada and Mexico - and Greenland all overlaid with the US flag.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
“How was that tennis rally won? How did that soccer attack build? It can be instantly overlaid with lavish graphics unpacking the action.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
AR glasses let users see the world around them, overlaid with three-dimensional graphics, a fusion of the real and digital worlds.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
The results are digitized so the specifics of Phineas's skull can be overlaid onto a three-dimensional computer image of a generic human skull.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
"Climate, changed," is the Observer's pithy headline, describing it as "the burning issue" overlaying smoke billowing from mountainside fires in Powys, Wales.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Many Americans have a very low level of financial resilience,” read text overlaying one such video from state media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
Augmented reality involves overlaying digital objects onto a person’s view of the physical world, allowing people to wear virtual dog ears on their faces and catch virtual Pokémon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2025
A material like amber is formed over tens of thousands of years, when the heat and pressure of overlaying sediment causes a complex chemical reaction resulting in the resin-like stone.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2024
“High peaks, impassable cliffs, steep snow-slopes, and sharply descending glaciers could be seen in all directions, with stretches of snow-plain overlaying the ice sheet of the interior.”
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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.
