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superimpose

verb
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su·​per·​im·​pose | \ ˌsü-pər-im-ˈpōz How to pronounce superimpose (audio) \
superimposed; superimposing; superimposes

Definition of superimpose

transitive verb

: to place or lay over or above something superimposed images
Other Words from superimpose Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about superimpose

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Other Words from superimpose

superimposable \ ˌsü-​pər-​im-​ˈpō-​zə-​bəl How to pronounce superimposable (audio) \ adjective
superimposition \ ˌsü-​pər-​ˌim-​pə-​ˈzi-​shən How to pronounce superimposition (audio) \ noun

Did You Know?

Superimposition was one of the magical effects employed by early filmmakers. Using "mirror shots", with semitransparent mirrors set at 45° angles to the scene, they would superimpose shadowy images of ghosts or scenes from a character's past onto scenes from the present. Superimposing your own ideas on something, such as a historical event, has to be done carefully, since your ideas may change whenever you learn something new about the event.

Examples of superimpose in a Sentence

A triangle superimposed on an inverted triangle forms a six-pointed star.
Recent Examples on the Web In short, the artist has created an Instagram filter that will allow visitors of the Louvre—his first prey of this particular sort—to superimpose his face to any sculpture, painting or piece of art within the premise. — Fortune, "Why Is This Artist Plastering His Face on Buildings All Over Paris and Beyond?," 26 Dec. 2019 Sloane emailed the photos to a graphic designer to superimpose against the backdrop of a real water polo match. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, "In admissions scandal, L.A. parent who faked son’s water polo talents gets 4 months in prison," 24 Sep. 2019 But Trump tweeted an image of his head superimposed on the muscular body of a champion boxer. — Arkansas Online, "Judiciary Committee set to take over Trump impeachment probe," 27 Nov. 2019 Trump tweeted an image of his head superimposed on the muscular body of a champion boxer. — Darlene Superville, Twin Cities, "Trump knew of whistleblower before releasing Ukraine aid," 27 Nov. 2019 President Trump tweeted out a photo Wednesday of his face superimposed on an image of Sylvester Stallone’s fictional boxing character Rocky Balboa. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Trump tweets bare-chested photo of ‘Rocky’ with his face," 27 Nov. 2019 In response to these developments, Salah posted the below tweet of an illustration of himself (in which he is weirdly aged?) with the people of Egypt superimposed onto his shirt and the flag behind him. — SI.com, "Mohamed Salah Issues Response to Egyptian FA as Rift Reopens (Again)," 25 Sep. 2019 In the film, texts between Hazel Grace and Augustus are superimposed on the screen. — David Lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' is a play for the first time, and it's close to home," 11 Oct. 2017 In the Vodafone video, smartphone features like augmented reality dog ears are superimposed onto real actors, and objects in a phone screen expand and jump out of the four corners of the device to interact with parts of the real world. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "James Dean, Dead for 64 Years, to Be Not Dead in New Movie," 6 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'superimpose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of superimpose

1611, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for superimpose

Time Traveler

The first known use of superimpose was in 1611

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Statistics for superimpose

Last Updated

10 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Superimpose.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superimpose. Accessed 17 January 2020.

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More Definitions for superimpose

superimpose

verb
How to pronounce superimpose (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of superimpose

: to place or lay (something) over something else

See the full definition for superimpose in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on superimpose

Spanish Central: Translation of superimpose

Nglish: Translation of superimpose for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of superimpose for Arabic Speakers

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