OVERLAY Definition & Meaning

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overlay

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

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

overlaid, overlaying.

to lay or place (one thing) over or upon another.
to cover, overspread, or surmount with something.
to finish with a layer or applied decoration of something:
wood richly overlaid with gold.
Printing. to put an overlay upon.

noun

something laid over something else; covering.
a layer or decoration of something applied:
an overlay of gold.
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.
a sheet of transparent paper placed over a photograph, a dummy, or other artwork for noting corrections, instructions, mechanical separations, etc.
Computers. software or data in external storage and brought into main storage for execution by replacing or augmenting software or data already there.
a transparent sheet giving special military information not ordinarily shown on maps, used by being placed over the map on which it is based.
a decorative piece of leather or other material stitched on a shoe.
Scot. a cravat.

overlay

[ oh-ver-ley ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb

simple past tense of overlie.

overlay

verb

to lay or place something over or upon (something else)
often foll by with to cover, overspread, or conceal (with)
foll by with to cover (a surface) with an applied decoration
ebony overlaid with silver
to achieve the correct printing pressure all over (a forme or plate) by adding to the appropriate areas of the packing

noun

something that is laid over something else; covering
an applied decoration or layer, as of gold leaf
a transparent sheet giving extra details to a map or diagram over which it is designed to be placed
printing material, such as paper, used to overlay a forme or plate

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51�Թ� 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.

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.

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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.

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While the executive order formalizes a parallel overlay of the federal government in the form of Musk's DOGE, it still does not clearly define its legal status.

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Artificial pitches in Bern and Thun will be overlaid with natural grass in June for the duration of the tournament in order to ensure conditions are the same across all venues.

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To demonstrate, Close’s meticulously detailed head of mustachioed “Robert,” 9 feet tall, is installed next to its maquette, an enlarged and subdivided black-and-white photograph overlaid with a tight grid.

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