1
as in to coat
to form a layer over
you should apply a coat of primer first, and then overlay it with two coats of paint
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to overlap
to lie over parts of one another
cedar shingles overlaying one another on the roof
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overlay
His image appeared overlaid with George Washington’s on a commemorative half-dollar coin to mark the nation’s sesquicentennial in 1926.
—
Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
During the Cold War, these tensions were overlaid by competing alignments.
—Rabia Akhtar, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026
Sometimes, images are blurred and overlaid as densely as the chaos of musical fragments and creaking sonic whatsits in Joseph Field Eccles and Nick Smyth’s own sound design.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Gamers blasted a demo video shared by Nvidia, which showed snippets from games like the Resident Evil franchise being overlaid with a familiar AI sheen.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overlay
Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
During the Cold War, these tensions were overlaid by competing alignments.
—Rabia Akhtar, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026
Sometimes, images are blurred and overlaid as densely as the chaos of musical fragments and creaking sonic whatsits in Joseph Field Eccles and Nick Smyth’s own sound design.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Gamers blasted a demo video shared by Nvidia, which showed snippets from games like the Resident Evil franchise being overlaid with a familiar AI sheen.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overlay
Verb
-
The sun is shining brighter, our days are a little longer, and the pollen is coating things as far as the eye can see.—
Joy Harden Bradford,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
These items are coated with Teflon, a material that blocks UV rays and is of best use in warm weather climates.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By then, the photographers Aaron Siskind and Harry Callahan were teaching at the school, along with Hazel Larsen Archer, who had overlapped with Rauschenberg in 1949 and captured his love of movement and of grace in a photograph of her own.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Clavius can be recognized by dint of an arcing line of impact craters nestled within its 143-mile (230 km) expanse, along with the Porter and Rutherford impact sites, which overlap part of its northeastern and southeastern rim.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Don't go into a basement, or any room, if water covers the electrical outlets or if cords are submerged.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
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Around 450,000 Kentuckians currently participate in the expansion, but health care advocacy groups say changes to the program could impact all Medicaid patients, not just those covered under ACA.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Reroll the dough sheets away from you into cylinders and loosely pinch them closed.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Dec. 2025
-
Save your time and check out the most popular coffee makers, electric toothbrushes, and sheets our readers are loving, just in time for gift-giving season.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overlay. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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