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 quantum computing, the concept of parallelism leverages superposition. —Gregory Crawford, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Recall the Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment, in which a cat exists in a superposition of states, both dead and alive. —Hartmut Neven, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2024

Unlike classical computers, which process one combination at a time, quantum computers can evaluate multiple scenarios simultaneously through superposition. —Lester Pereira, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

And the classical algorithm is somehow able to do this by replacing the superpositions with probabilities. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 3 Apr. 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