superpose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to place above or upon something else, or one upon another.
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Geometry. to place (one figure) in the space occupied by another, so that the two figures coincide throughout their whole extent.
verb
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geometry to transpose (the coordinates of one geometric figure) to coincide with those of another
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a rare word for superimpose
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of superpose
From the French word superposer, dating back to 1815–25. See super-, pose 1
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:
On restoring the wire to its original place, it will be extremely flexible, and we may now superpose several contrary polarities under contrary torsions, as already described.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 392, July 7, 1883 by Various
We may give isolated single taps or superpose a series in rapid succession according as the wheel is rotated slow or fast.
From Response in the Living and Non-Living by Bose, Jagadis Chandra, Sir
But if we superpose the pure spectral colours on a screen, the resulting colours are quite 729 different.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various
On this new ground philosophy ought then to follow science, in order to superpose on scientific truth a knowledge of another kind, which may be called metaphysical.
From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur
V. cover; superpose, superimpose; overlay, overspread; wrap &c.
From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark
Like entanglement, the superposed states essential to its power are fragile, collapsing when measured or otherwise perturbed by the outside world.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 3, 2021
Quantum computers, in contrast, traffic in qubits, which are constructed out of superposed particles that embody numerous states simultaneously.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 20, 2021
This is further supported by the dust lanes superposed on the host nucleus17, 61.
From Nature ● Oct. 15, 2017
Such a device would be able to carry out many calculations in parallel, with each of the superposed states acting as part of the calculation.
From Economist ● Oct. 11, 2012
It is an ancestral larval form, corresponding perhaps to the stages immediately succeeding the trochophore in the development of Annelids, but with some of the later-acquired Crustacean characters superposed upon it.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various
When they do so, the pairs start behaving like a single particle, superposing proclivities and all.
From Economist ● Feb. 23, 2012
In 1858, Mr. Claudet conceived the idea of projecting the two stereoscopic images upon ground glass in superposing them.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 795, March 28, 1891 by Various
A similar result is found on superposing a blue filter upon the purple one.
From Visual Illusions Their Causes, Characteristics and Applications by Luckiesh, Matthew
All such wave-motions can be produced by superposing a number of simple wave forms.
From The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) A Plain Story Simply Told by Thomson, J. Arthur
By superposing layers of liquid of different concentration and decreasing density, one may obtain knots and swellings in the osmotic growths marking the surfaces of separation of the liquid.
From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane
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.
