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

Unlike classical bits, qubits can exist in two states at once, a property called superposition. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025

These quantum fluctuations, generated on the smallest scales, get stretched to larger scales by inflation, while newer, later-time fluctuations get stretched atop them, creating a superposition of these fluctuations on all distance scales. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 24 Sep. 2025

Besides there being less interference than at radio waves, optical and infrared lasers also support quantum encryption — what's known as QKD, or quantum key distribution, in which the key to encrypting the data is encoded into the quantum superposition of the photons. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Quantum computers make use of qubits, which are able to exist in several states simultaneously owing to superposition and entanglement. —Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 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