overlying 1 of 2

noun

as in overlaying

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overlying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of overlie
1
as in overlapping
to lie over parts of one another the puzzle pieces overlay one another in complete disarray on the floor

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in coating
to form a layer over there will be freezing rain tonight, so we can expect to find a thick layer of ice overlying the car windshield in the morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overlying
Verb
Any longer may damage your overlying skin and even give you frostbite. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 The local agricultural cooperative now struggles given the absence of irrigated agriculture in that area overlying the Ogallala. — Allen Best, Denver Post, 14 June 2026 The results are somewhat ambiguous as to how much ice may lurk unseen beneath layers of overlying ice-sparse material. — K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overlying
  1. overlapping
  2. coating
  3. covering
  4. overlaying
Verb
  • The two companies would have an overlapping workforce within its linear cable channel divisions, film and television studios, streaming operations and corporate functions, including marketing, technology and advertising sales.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Still, most CISOs today are managing three overlapping identity problems simultaneously.
    — Israel Duanis, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of overlapping
Verb
  • In May 2025, a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier thundered down the mountainside in the nearby Loetschental valley, sending plumes of dust skyward and coating with mud nearly all of Blatten, which had been evacuated earlier as a precaution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • For use directly on the body, the team added a polydopamine coating to improve skin compatibility.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of coating
Verb
  • His comments ranged widely, covering the latest battlefield developments, efforts to counter Russian ballistic attacks, the state of peace negotiations, Ukraine’s budgetary challenges and the political turmoil surrounding Fedorov’s dismissal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Within those 22 appearances, the Cubs are 9-1 in his starts, and the Mexican right-hander has also notched two saves, covering all sorts of situations in his hybrid role.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of covering
Verb
  • His team spent about a month overlaying influenza trends on card spending, hunting for spikes at drugstores, and found a relationship that was never clean enough to use.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • In Modrić and Haaland’s cases, some do this by overlaying bows and hearts on their images.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Definition of overlaying

Browse Nearby Words

overly
overlying
overmaster
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Cite this Entry

“Overlying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overlying. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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