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:
Other scammers take videos and photos from real practicing attorneys and overlay different audio to trick immigrants into sending them money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
The former Manchester mayor comes off as a gregarious, upbeat fellow with an admittedly nerdy overlay.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 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 noticed that the brick was a very pink-cast brick, and it had a little bit of a charcoal overlay on it. It was a modular eight-inch brick and it was square-edged," he says.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
I wrote the letter on overlay tissue paper.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital displays against real-world surroundings.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Named the Magnavox Odyssey, the console setup included translucent overlays that players stuck on the TV screen to create colorful game boards, such as table tennis, roulette and haunted house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 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
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
Over the speakers, with no virtual overlays, she switches to speaking English.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Text reading “Polymarket funds my life” overlaid another video of her dancing on a beach by the Golden Gate Bridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 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
Seeds are visible among the chopped roasted chiles, smoky and vegetal and bringing some heat, overlaid with a single square of American cheese melted into place.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Deploying botanical damage control, drawings were overlaid with the outlines of luxuriant trees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
“You don’t have any augmented reality overlaid in your home,” I say as I sit.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The trilogy artfully transcends the binaries of empire, overlaying the brute facts of economy and race with ripping anecdotes, splendid uniforms and sensual Indian architecture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 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
“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.
