superposition

noun

su·​per·​po·​si·​tion ˌsü-pər-pə-ˈzi-shən 

plural superpositions

: the placement of one thing above or on top of another

The principle used to determine whether one sedimentary rock is older than another is very simple, and is known as the law of superposition. Here is an example: A deposit of mud laid down this year in, say, the Gulf of Mexico will rest on top of a layer that was deposited last year.

—Sheldon Judson and Marvin E. Kauffman

especially, physics : the combination of two distinct physical phenomena of the same type (such as spin or wavelength) so that they coexist as part of the same event

Schrödinger perversely suggested that until the box was opened and the outcome of the experiment observed, the particle must remain suspended in a superposition of two states: simultaneously going through both holes.

—George Johnson

In a quantum computer, however, the "transistors" remain in a superposition of 0 and 1 …

—Philip Yam

Examples of superposition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In fact, the first and most fundamental of these laws is the law of superposition, which holds that the oldest layers of rock tend to be the farthest from the surface, while the youngest layers of rock are typically the closest to the surface. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2025

Because of the magic of quantum superposition, which describes how all the possible quantum states exist synchronously in a particle's quantum wave-function, a proton or antiproton can have a spin of both 1/2 or –1/2 at the same time. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 July 2025

Learn how qubits differ from classical bits, including the fundamental quantum concepts of superposition, entanglement, and interference. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2025

Unlike traditional computing, which processes information in binary sequences, quantum computing harnesses the unique properties of quantum mechanics—superposition, entanglement and tunneling—to process complex information in entirely new ways. —Markus Pflitsch, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for superposition

• academician
• cycloaddition
• decomposition
• diagnostician
• disinhibition
• indisposition
• interposition
• juxtaposition
• mathematician
• metacognition
• metaphysician
• neurotransmission