adjective
- situated or lying on top of something else
verb
- present participle of overlie; lying on top of or covering something
Examples
- The overlying rock layers contained fossils from different time periods.
- Snow was overlying the frozen ground throughout the winter.
- The overlying fabric protected the delicate material underneath.
- Geologists studied the overlying sediment to understand the area’s history.
- The overlying clouds blocked most of the sunlight.
- She carefully removed the overlying papers to find the document.
- The overlying ice made the road extremely dangerous to drive on.