superimpose
verb
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
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
In 1916, the Warren Clock Co. began producing the Type A master station clock, which is actually two clocks superimposed on a single clock face.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 Feb. 2024
In the scrapbook dedicated to his memory, a pair of angel wings is superimposed over the photo of Tyler kneeling in prayer outside the Parachute Center.
—Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 14 Dec. 2023
In a purposefully photoshopped ad for her mocktail brand Betty Buzz, an image of Lively was superimposed over a pool background with her hands enlarged and a lemon floating in the air.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2024
Trending on Billboard Fallon then held up the album’s moody cover, which features a silhouette of Zayn’s face superimposed with an image of a space below a set of stairs in a home, and announced that the single is out on Friday (March 15), with the LP following on May 17.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024
Social-media posts showed visitors to Moscow’s Red Square and Russian embassies in London and D.C. superimposing a hollow replica of Vladimir Putin’s portrait—dripping with blood donated by Molodkin’s Ukrainian friends—on their surroundings.
—Nadia Beard, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024
Image of Robert Card, suspect in the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, is superimposed on picture of law enforcement personnel continuing their investigation outside one of the shooting locations, Schemengees Bar & Grille, on Oct. 27, 2023.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024
At the end, the younger Kennedy’s face was superimposed over his uncle’s.
—TIME, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'superimpose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1611, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near superimpose
Cite this Entry
“Superimpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superimpose. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on superimpose
Nglish: Translation of superimpose for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of superimpose for Arabic Speakers
Share