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:
The former Manchester mayor comes off as a gregarious, upbeat fellow with an admittedly nerdy overlay.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 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
The other is an overlay of orange and yellow splotches on the land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
On top of that, an overlay of floor wash antiseptic, seeping in from the corridors beyond.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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
With six game cartridges and plastic overlays, the Odyssey setup offered 12 different games when it first retailed for $100—or about $770 in today’s dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 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
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
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
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
It was no cleaner here, and in fact file air was even harder to breathe than in the cell, because all the natural stinks had been overlaid by a heavy layer of cloying perfume.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Augmented reality involves overlaying digital objects onto a person’s view of the physical world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 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
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
