1
as in to coat
to form a layer over
you should apply a coat of primer first, and then overlay it with two coats of paint
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to overlap
to lie over parts of one another
cedar shingles overlaying one another on the roof
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overlay
The researchers overlay all the data, and then send it to 400 other scientists, water managers, and other experts around the country who critique it and comment on it internally before the map is published.
—
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
Her silver mesh frock was overlaid with crystals.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
The only thing Bloom didn't show on camera were the stocks her husband, David Pownall, purchased for her, as the content creator noted in overlaying text at the beginning of the video.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Surgeons operated from a cockpit in the operating room, using an input device that provided real-time augmentation, overlays, and tactile paddles while viewing a 3D monitor fed by multimodal imaging.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overlay
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
Her silver mesh frock was overlaid with crystals.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
The only thing Bloom didn't show on camera were the stocks her husband, David Pownall, purchased for her, as the content creator noted in overlaying text at the beginning of the video.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Surgeons operated from a cockpit in the operating room, using an input device that provided real-time augmentation, overlays, and tactile paddles while viewing a 3D monitor fed by multimodal imaging.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overlay
Verb
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Icing sugar coats the outside of each tiny treat, which comes packaged in a tiny pink gift bag.—
Angela Hansberger,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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This is done by coating both sides of the glass with a special type of film.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There are weak patches, but the four actors (Wilde, MVP Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) keep it buoyant, with a crackling energy that makes the endless streams of overlapping talk play like jazz.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Jan. 2026
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However, this interjection increases the probability of overlapping or even conflicting instructions to vendors.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hood said interstates and main highways are pretty clear, but many rural county roads are probably still covered in ice.—
Bill Bowden,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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Business The inside story of DeepMind Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Reroll the dough sheets away from you into cylinders and loosely pinch them closed.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Dec. 2025
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Save your time and check out the most popular coffee makers, electric toothbrushes, and sheets our readers are loving, just in time for gift-giving season.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overlay. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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