1
as in to overlap
to lie over parts of one another
the puzzle pieces overlay one another in complete disarray on the floor
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2
as in to coat
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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of overlie
Then Lewis and her colleagues work to develop solutions to preserve the caves without hindering construction, such as rerouting utilities around subterranean cavities or installing manholes in overlying sidewalks to maintain access.
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Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2024
The cameras pierced the artist’s overlying brushstrokes to reveal a sketch of an elegant and mysterious man wearing a bow tie and three rings and holding his chin.
—Fabio Pacucci, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
Our list of reasonable diagnoses was expanding and contracting, replaced with irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, gut motility issues, all overlying a stressed individual barely keeping it together.
—Eric Snoey, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition that presents as red patches with overlying greasy, yellow scales.
—April Benshosan, Verywell Health, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for overlie 
Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2024
The cameras pierced the artist’s overlying brushstrokes to reveal a sketch of an elegant and mysterious man wearing a bow tie and three rings and holding his chin.
—Fabio Pacucci, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
Our list of reasonable diagnoses was expanding and contracting, replaced with irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, gut motility issues, all overlying a stressed individual barely keeping it together.
—Eric Snoey, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition that presents as red patches with overlying greasy, yellow scales.
—April Benshosan, Verywell Health, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for overlie
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overlie
Verb
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That variation, called the surface code, is based on two overlapping grids of physical qubits.Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
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Architecture Structure and exterior design The most arresting features of the Sydney Opera House are, of course, its overlapping concrete shells, or sails.Michael Y. Park, Architectural Digest, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Generously coat the inside of a large bundt pan with softened butter. 2.Martin Sorge, Chicago Tribune, 16 Dec. 2024
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As wind blew air through a mesh coated with catalysts to extract nitrogen and hydrogen from water vapor, the device produced enough ammonia with a sufficiently high concentration for use as a hydroponic fertilizer – all without the need for additional electricity or radiation.New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Sasha Hupka covers county government and elections for The Arizona Republic.Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
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Fix the Court, a nonprofit organization registered under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS, reported on tax forms covering fiscal 2023 paying Gabe Roth, its director, a salary of $168,100.Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Overlie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overlie. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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