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
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
"When you overlay those two things, it's striking."
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 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
Investors should use fundamental overlays when buying laggards and avoid selling strong momentum tech stocks, Parker advises.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
“While the situation remains highly uncertain and fragile, we expect banks to take provision overlays in upcoming results, with impairment charges likely to rise vis-à-vis our current base case,” Macquarie says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
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
Over the speakers, with no virtual overlays, she switches to speaking English.
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
Each has an episode named for him — as with “Adolescence” it’s a four-part show — the overlaid shifting focus fitting quite well into the novel’s chronology.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
Deploying botanical damage control, drawings were overlaid with the outlines of luxuriant trees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
An Instagram post on March 7 from Dubai’s official tourism account featured slick visuals of the emirate’s landmark high-rise buildings overlaid with a catchy pop-soundtrack that declares: “Dubai is still the safest place on Earth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
He is covered with Parisian soot and grime, overlaid with splatters and spatters of paint: ochre, brick red, orange, lemon chrome, cobalt blue, green, black, zinc white.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
“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
Chan first came to attention for filming the children in his care and overlaying the video with audio.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
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
And overlaying all of this was the history of Howard itself.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
