overlay
verb
over·lay
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈlā
\
\
overlaid\ ˌō-vər-ˈlād
\;
overlaying
\;
overlaying
Definition of overlay
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to lay or spread over or across : superimpose
b
: to prepare an overlay for
2
: overlie sense 2
overlay
noun
over·lay
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌlā
\
\
Definition of overlay (Entry 2 of 2)
: a covering either permanent or temporary: such as
a
: an ornamental veneer
b
: a decorative and contrasting design or article placed on top of a plain one
c
: a transparent sheet containing graphic matter to be superimposed on another sheet
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Synonyms for overlay
Synonyms: Verb
blanket, carpet, coat, cover, overlie, overspread, sheet
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Examples of overlay in a Sentence
Verb
you should apply a coat of primer first, and then overlay it with two coats of paint cedar shingles overlaying one another on the roofNoun
a silver ring with gold overlay The wooden table has a marble overlay.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
For these services, traditional Hebrew prayers are overlaid over the popular music played at this service. — Sergio Carmona, sun-sentinel.com, "Rock Shabbat services provided in Palm Beach, Broward synagogues," 23 Aug. 2019 The road was gravel when the badge went missing and since then the road was reconstructed and bituminous was overlayed. — Forum News Service, Twin Cities, "Minnesota lawman lost his first badge 30 years ago. Two boys just found it.," 13 Aug. 2019 Every video is overlaid with music, by artists ranging from Beyoncé to Tracy Chapman to Britney Spears. — New York Times, "When Britney Spears Posts on Instagram, a Thousand Conspiracies Flower," 12 June 2019 Sandys has overlaid the surfaces with colorful Matisse-like canvases and sculptures of her own making. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "Winston Churchill’s Granddaughter’s MTV Connection," 12 Aug. 2019 Oculus set up a sizable stage littered with physical boxes, then put six players into Oculus Quest headsets, which overlaid it with a cartoonish Wild West scenario from Gunfire Games title Dead and Buried. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Oculus Quest put us in an ‘arena-scale’ Wild West shootout, and it was great," 27 Sep. 2018 Hacker News is the inverse image of many people’s jobs, overlaid on top of each other—an escape valve for frustrated idealists. — Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, "The Lonely Work of Moderating Hacker News," 8 Aug. 2019 Maersk Tankers, for example, uses CargoMetrics to overlay weather and performance data so that the company can reposition its tankers to respond to incidents, like the recent tanker explosions in the Persian Gulf. — John Konrad, BostonGlobe.com, "The next global tech disruption will happen where few expect it," 28 June 2019 County officials also overlaid aerial searches onto a satellite map. — Audrey Mcavoy, Twin Cities, "Tech makes it easier to search wilderness for missing people," 24 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
That overlay is part of what makes watching the bad puppets torture, kill and casually mistreat the good ones so very disturbing. — Robert Lloyd, chicagotribune.com, "The sinister appeal of ‘The Dark Crystal’s’ bad Muppets," 3 Sep. 2019 That overlay is part of what makes watching the bad puppets torture, kill and casually mistreat the good ones so very disturbing. — Los Angeles Times, "The sinister appeal of ‘The Dark Crystal’s’ bad muppets," 3 Sep. 2019 The company is exploring other things like computer vision technology — which would help detect text overlay on images — but there are still other tricks those seeking to spread fake news or political propaganda without getting caught by Instagram. — Tonya Riley, Washington Post, "The Technology 202: Instagram's new fact-checking tool may have limited impact on disinformation," 22 Aug. 2019 Freshest amongst them is a Halloween overlay of Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. — Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, "Disney: Not-So-Scary Halloween Party back with bride, Buzz, Jack Skellington," 20 Aug. 2019 The City Council last year approved a special zoning overlay for mobile home parks intended to prevent their redevelopment. — oregonlive.com, "One of Oregon’s biggest stocks of affordable housing -- the mobile home -- is in peril, despite state interventions," 13 July 2019 The original building’s bricks were painted teal, and Schaff brought in BILT architecture and design firm to laser cut brass overlays for Cayo Coco’s dining room walls. — Shauna Stuart | [email protected], al.com, "In Founder’s Station, Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurante is a nod to Cuba’s pre-revolution high life," 12 July 2019 The city became a complex overlay of digital, material, environmental, and social cartographies. — Larissa Hjorth, Quartz, "Social workers in Spain are prescribing Pokémon Go to fight loneliness," 8 July 2019 FrameView includes an overlay that shows performance and power metrics as a game is being played. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Nvidia's GeForce RTX 'Super' cards aim to one-up AMD with more power for the same price," 2 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overlay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for overlay
overlay
verb
English Language Learners Definition of overlay
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to cover (something) with a layer of another material
overlay
noun
English Language Learners Definition of overlay (Entry 2 of 2)
: material that covers the complete surface or part of the surface of something and that changes its appearance
: a transparent sheet with information or pictures on it that is placed on top of another sheet to change what is being shown
See the full definition for overlay in the English Language Learners Dictionary
overlay
verb
over·lay
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈlā
\
\
overlaid\ -ˈlād \;
overlaying
Kids Definition of overlay
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to lay or spread over or across
The table top is overlaid with ceramic tiles.
overlay
noun