overlay
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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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:
Michael Nizard, head of multi-asset and overlay at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, said the yen’s excessive weakness could prompt coordinated intervention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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
The other is an overlay of orange and yellow splotches on the land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
BBC Sport has seen a telemetry data overlay of a quick lap from Bahrain with last year's cars compared with one from this year.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
An overlay of the stadium’s blueprint hovers faintly over everything.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The technology overlays digital creatures onto a live view of the real world through a smartphone's camera, making it appear as though they're standing in front of the player.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
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
Over the speakers, with no virtual overlays, she switches to speaking English.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
In 2024, he posted an Instagram video overlaid with a GIF message to those who say they’re his wife’s biggest fan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Three hours before the match, AFP spoke with several protesters who held tickets and wore T-shirts printed with that pre-revolution flag -- horizontal green, white and red stripes overlaid with a sun and a lion.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 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
They overlaid effects onto their selfies, transforming their faces into cute dogs and even puking rainbows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025
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
“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
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
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.
