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:
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
Now it is the same thing with symmetric spherical triangles; we cannot superpose them.
From The Teaching of Geometry by Smith, David Eugene
But in this fickle and aberrated mind ideas superpose themselves on each other, then pass away, and those which disappear leave their shadow on those which follow.
From Là-bas by Wallace, Keene
In a general way, measuring is a wholly human operation, which implies that we really or ideally superpose two objects one on another a certain number of times.
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
More surprisingly, Indian architecture, which was only beginning to become widely known through watercolors, has left its imprint on the superposed lintels supported by the pillars.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2011
Then produce upwards on either side, after the width of the superposed squares, right lines to meet the sides of the oblique set square.
From Of the Just Shaping of Letters by D?rer, Albrecht
When they do so, the pairs start behaving like a single particle, superposing proclivities and all.
From Economist ● Feb. 23, 2012
There would be no reason, for example, why an angle should not be constructed equal to a given angle by superposing the given angle on another part of the plane.
From The Teaching of Geometry by Smith, David Eugene
An opaque sky, which had a solid air and was made of accumulated, small, horizontal layers, as if one had painted it by superposing pastes of dead colors.
From Ramuntcho by Loti, Pierre
A stack of pulled cotton is formed by superposing thin layers from different bales, and when completed the cotton is drawn from top to bottom of the stack.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 5 "Cosway" to "Coucy" by Various
INTERFERENCE.—The crossing or superposing of two sets of electric waves of the same or slightly different lengths which tend to oppose each other.
From The Radio Amateur's Hand Book by Collins, A. Frederick (Archie Frederick)
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.
