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View synonyms for

overlay

1

[ verb oh-ver-ley; noun oh-ver-ley ]

verb (used with object)

overlaid, overlaying.
  1. to lay or place (one thing) over or upon another.
  2. to cover, overspread, or surmount with something.
  3. to finish with a layer or applied decoration of something:

    wood richly overlaid with gold.

  4. Printing. to put an overlay upon.


noun

  1. something laid over something else; covering.
  2. a layer or decoration of something applied:

    an overlay of gold.

  3. Printing.
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. the sheet or sheets so prepared.
  4. a sheet of transparent paper placed over a photograph, a dummy, or other artwork for noting corrections, instructions, mechanical separations, etc.
  5. Computers. software or data in external storage and brought into main storage for execution by replacing or augmenting software or data already there.
  6. a transparent sheet giving special military information not ordinarily shown on maps, used by being placed over the map on which it is based.
  7. a decorative piece of leather or other material stitched on a shoe.
  8. Scot. a cravat.

overlay

2

[ oh-ver-ley ]

verb

  1. simple past tense of overlie.

overlay

verb

  1. to lay or place something over or upon (something else)
  2. often foll by with to cover, overspread, or conceal (with)
  3. foll by with to cover (a surface) with an applied decoration

    ebony overlaid with silver

  4. to achieve the correct printing pressure all over (a forme or plate) by adding to the appropriate areas of the packing
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. something that is laid over something else; covering
  2. an applied decoration or layer, as of gold leaf
  3. a transparent sheet giving extra details to a map or diagram over which it is designed to be placed
  4. printing material, such as paper, used to overlay a forme or plate
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of overlay1

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; over-, lay 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The “Right Now” video is a classic of the era: a bunch of random clips overlaid with slogans about oil companies and unprotected sex.

From

The skeleton, a male aged between 26 and 35, had been buried in a grave with two others and overlaid with horse bones.

From

This project invites viewers to consider what it means for a country to grow, and the advantages and disadvantages linked to that growth, by overlaying archival photographs from the 1940s-60s within current scenes.

From

I could make different overlay maps of L.A. with my memories from various eras: where I had a date or broke up with someone, etc.

From

Players — also called trainers, who capture and battle monsters by walking around in the real world with a digital overlay, called augmented reality — have logged 30 billion miles in the app.

From

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