superimpose

American  

[soo-per-im-pohz] / ˌsu pər ɪmˈpoʊz /

verb (used with object)

superimposes, present (3rd person singular) superimposed, past participle, past superimposing present participle

1. to impose, place, or set over, above, or on something else.

2. to put or join as an addition (usually followed by on orupon ).

3. to display or print (an image or text) over another image so that both are visible at once.

   You can superimpose open captions on your videos with this free software.

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superimpose British  

/ ˌsuːpərɪmˈpəʊz /

verb

1. to set or place on or over something else

2. to add (to)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superimposition
  noun
• superimposable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• superimposing
  present
• superimposed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• superimpose
  simple
• superimposes
  simple
• have superimposed
  perfect
• has superimposed
  perfect
• am superimposing
  progressive
• are superimposing
  progressive
• is superimposing
  progressive
• have been superimposing
  perfect progressive
• has been superimposing
  perfect progressive

Past

• superimposed
  simple
• had superimposed
  perfect
• was superimposing
  progressive
• were superimposing
  progressive
• had been superimposing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will superimpose
  simple
• will have superimposed
  perfect
• will be superimposing
  progressive
• will have been superimposing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of superimpose

First recorded in 1785–95; super- + impose

Explanation

Superimpose means laying one thing on top of another. It's often used to describe images in a photo collage — like the superimposed image of a skyscraper on the surface of the moon. The verb superimpose is typically used in graphics or photography to describe how images can be put on top of one another for dramatic effect. Use it also to show adding your own take on something, or when you try to have an impact on someone's behavior: "She tried to superimpose her ideas of perfection onto the lazy habits of her children."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

superimpose superimposes superimposed superimposing

It is premature to entirely superimpose Tesla’s trading patterns on SpaceX, but that is exactly what many seasoned investors are referencing as the SpaceX options market develops.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

When a park ranger contacted Propeck, he denied he was the man in the video, saying he’d used artificial intelligence to superimpose his face onto the footage, the complaint states.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026

The agency “did not want to intervene and superimpose last-minute, unvetted judgment into the process, as this could have been perceived as manipulating the data,” it said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

Users can then superimpose the digital images onto their physical surroundings using their device.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2025

At the right altitude, he could almost superimpose the luminous map on his visor over the actual Dublin streets below him.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

The most elucidating superimposes a Pietà by Anne-Louis Girodet, David’s little-known pupil, over David’s “Marat.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

In the meantime, I have assembled a small library of eclipse books and magazines, including a road atlas that superimposes the 2024 path of totality onto a detailed map of the U.S.,

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2024

A $25 coffee cup for sale on the site features his mugshot and his inmate number: P01135809, another superimposes his mugshot over a list of the criminal charges he now faces in four separate cases.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 25, 2023

He superimposes precise, colorful chevrons on fields of inky drips, and renders geometric patterns on lumps of green-painted found wood mounted on a white backdrop.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2023

The mortal Don Quixote, in dying, realized his own comicness and bewept his sins; but the immortal Quixote, realizing his own comicness, superimposes himself upon it and triumphs over it without renouncing it.

From Tragic Sense Of Life by Flitch, J. E. Crawford (John Ernest Crawford)

Much like a person's left and right hands mirror one another but cannot be perfectly superimposed, many biological structures have a preferred orientation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

A flash of superimposed text identifies them as “*Very certified*, extremely serious ballet experts.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

Chirality refers to objects that cannot be superimposed on their mirror images, like left and right hands.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2026

Jurors found him not guilty on the comparison to the 20th Century dictators and the Wests, but ruled the superimposed image was grossly offensive.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

She decreed an end to the numerous superimposed periods of mourning and she herself exchanged her rigorous old gowns for youthful clothing.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"Others appear to be an image manipulated manually, often by superimposing indicators of damage or another change on a satellite image that had no such details to begin with," he said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026

That choice allowed star David Corenswet to react in real time to his filmed environment, rather than shooting him before a blue screen and later superimposing him over footage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

Hence, Shirley’s Central American vacation video generated many versions of a meme superimposing his image on stills from the show’s prison arc.

From Salon ● May 7, 2025

Murnau pioneered some early special effects, including superimposing the image of Nosferatu on to a ship to create a frightening ghostly glow, Eggers goes for an earthy take, grounded in history and reality.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024

It was like watching a screen upon which many and diverse films were superimposing scenes in which he was an actor of more or less consequence, but in which his figure was always blurred.

From Bunker Bean by Wilson, Harry Leon