1
as in supported
to lie underneath
A layer of rock underlies the topsoil.
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2
as in grounded
to form the basis or foundation of (something, such as an idea)
The assumption that underlies their argument is faulty.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underlay
There was another story that underlay the peace negotiations, and that was the story of the love between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
—
Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
The consumer welfare philosophy also underlay U.S. negotiations that resulted in international antitrust cooperation agreements and in competition chapters within bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
There are unresolved tensions in Williams’s script that could use some pressure, like the way Cephus’s seeming nostalgia exists alongside his acknowledgment of segregation, or how economic realities underlay his journey north (and only a deus ex machina allows his return to the South).
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
Another key part of the trick involves an appreciation of two psychological systems that underlay our decision making, as described by Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist and Nobel Prize-winner.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for underlay
Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
The consumer welfare philosophy also underlay U.S. negotiations that resulted in international antitrust cooperation agreements and in competition chapters within bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
There are unresolved tensions in Williams’s script that could use some pressure, like the way Cephus’s seeming nostalgia exists alongside his acknowledgment of segregation, or how economic realities underlay his journey north (and only a deus ex machina allows his return to the South).
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
Another key part of the trick involves an appreciation of two psychological systems that underlay our decision making, as described by Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist and Nobel Prize-winner.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for underlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underlay
Verb
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How many voters supported, opposed Measure G In Nevada County, the largest portion of the library district, voters supported Measure G with by a 7-to-3 margin.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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That’s why, according to graphic designer and rebranding expert Gardner, the Wichita community overwhelmingly supported the new Redhawks mascot.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Those instruments stayed grounded during Melissa, while other instruments and drones collecting forecast information were deployed.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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Don’t pull out your hair — try to be grounded.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Specialty beauty retailers like Ulta Beauty and Sephora, by comparison, have upheld programs meant to support founders of color, including their respective accelerator programs, which inaugurate annual classes of beauty founders of color and ready them for growth via monetary grants and mentorship.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
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The Justice Department's brief asks the Supreme Court to throw out a ruling by a federal appeals court that upheld Sittenfeld's convictions and send the case back to the federal judge in Cincinnati who oversaw the trial.—
Kevin Grasha,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Several federal and state agencies offer wildland fire training, with standards established by the multi-agency National Wildfire Coordinating Group.—
Gidget Fuentes,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Sherry Lansing Leadership Award recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists in entertainment and media and was established in honor of Sherry Lansing, the first woman to head a Hollywood studio (Lansing is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures).—
THR Staff,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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James had known Gjoshe for close to a decade and has retained a link by allowing the young full-back to oversee sessions at the Nigel James Elite Coaching academy, based in Wimbledon, south London.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
12 Nov. 2025
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The defensive front reinforced by Phillips and Smith flummoxed Love on a penultimate drive with a series of stunts that frequently struck the quarterback.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Still, the crux of the alliance between Washington and Seoul is predicated on deterring Pyongyang’s aggression, Hegseth said, who earlier in the week visited the Demilitarized Zone on the border with North Korea.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
4 Nov. 2025
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But all of these tropes, from the beard to the villain, are predicated on the idea that sexuality and desire are always legible on the body.—
Kelly Foster Lundquist,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underlay. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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