- past tense form of overlie.
overlay
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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overlays
plural
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something laid over something else; covering.
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a layer or decoration of something applied.
an overlay of gold.
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Printing.
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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.
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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.
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the sheet or sheets so prepared.
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a sheet of transparent paper placed over a photograph, a dummy, or other artwork for noting corrections, instructions, mechanical separations, etc.
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Computers. software or data in external storage and brought into main storage for execution by replacing or augmenting software or data already there.
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a transparent sheet giving special military information not ordinarily shown on maps, used by being placed over the map on which it is based.
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a decorative piece of leather or other material stitched on a shoe.
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Scot. a cravat.
verb
verb
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to lay or place something over or upon (something else)
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(often foll by with) to cover, overspread, or conceal (with)
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(foll by with) to cover (a surface) with an applied decoration
ebony overlaid with silver
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to achieve the correct printing pressure all over (a forme or plate) by adding to the appropriate areas of the packing
noun
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something that is laid over something else; covering
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an applied decoration or layer, as of gold leaf
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a transparent sheet giving extra details to a map or diagram over which it is designed to be placed
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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"
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Beyond the Bright Sea
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Loser
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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:
A series of colorful circles overlay Lee’s ink sketches.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Jefferies had already updated estimates to reflect this scenario, and the investment bank’s analysts say Westpac’s new portfolio overlay for energy intensive sectors supports this expectation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 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
“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
He tried to forget those horrible images, overlay them with other ones.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital displays against real-world surroundings.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
"AI is definitely a story that overlays CES in terms of new capabilities, but also new price pressures," Greengart said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 3, 2026
Other surprise-and-delight features: The electrochromic roof that can be shaded in zones and patterns; the high-def head-up display, with beautifully animated overlays of augmented reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
Augmented reality technology overlays computer-generated images over the physical world and is used in games like Pokémon Go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 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
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
Scientists at paint manufacturer PPG built a database containing the properties of all of their products, overlaid with the laws of chemistry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
They overlaid effects onto their selfies, transforming their faces into cute dogs and even puking rainbows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025
The GPS showed him ground coordinates, but there was no overlaid image—no moving dot or icon—that showed where he was in relation to those coordinates.
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2025
It was overlaid with a tracery of flowers and leaves wrought of silver and gold, and on it were set in elven-runes formed of many gems the name Andúril and the lineage of the sword.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
His debut ad felt like an Aquaman trailer, the veteran and oyster farmer’s basso profondo voice overlaying scenes of him in wet suits, splitting wood, piloting a boat, flying the flag, swinging a kettlebell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
The caption simply stated the date — “9.27.25” — flanked by white heart emojis and audio of “La Vie En Rose” overlaying the display.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2025
TikTok users often take part in trends by using the audio of popular videos and overlaying it with their own clips.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024
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.
