Meaning of layer in English

layer

/ˈleɪ.ər/ us

/ˈleɪ.ɚ/

layer noun [C] (MATERIAL)

a level of material, such as a type of rock or gas, that is different from the material above or below it, or a thin sheet of a substance:

the ozone layer

layer of A thick layer of clay lies over the sandstone.

There was a thin layer of oil on the surface of the water.

We stripped several layers of paint off the door.

More examplesFewer examples

Cover the meat with a layer of cheese.
Women have a layer of subcutaneous fat that provides them with better insulation than men.
The eruption had covered the town with a fine layer of ash.
A thick layer of dust had accumulated in the room.
If the first layer isn't dry before you add the next one, the colours will run into each other .

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Coverings and layers

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layer noun [C] (PEOPLE)

the group of people at a particular level in an organization:

management layer We've cut the number of management layers from five to three.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Bosses & managers

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layer noun [C] (hair)

layers

[ plural ]

hair cut so that some top parts of the hair are shorter than the hair underneath, to give it a particular style:

I asked the hairdresser to put some layers in my hair.

layer

verb [ T ]

/ˈleɪ.ər/ us

/ˈleɪ.ɚ/

to arrange something in layers:

layer something with something Layer the pasta with slices of tomato.

potatoes layered with onions

to cut hair so that some top parts of the hair are shorter than the hair underneath, to give it a particular style or shape:

Can you layer it a little at the front, please?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Covering and adding layers

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Hairstyles

Related words

layered

layering

(Definition of layer from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

layer | American Dictionary

layer

noun [ C ]

/ˈleɪ·ər/

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a thin sheet of a substance on top of a surface, or a level of material that is different from the material on either side:

We put on two layers of paint.

The road was built up with layers of crushed stone and asphalt.

layered

adjective us/ˈleɪ·ərd/

Her hair is long and fluffily layered.

layer

verb [ T ]

us/ˈleɪ·ər/

to arrange something in layers:

Layer the pasta with slices of tomato.

(Definition of layer from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

layer | Business English

layer

noun [ C ]

/leɪər/ us

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the group of employees or managers at a particular level of responsibility in an organization:

layer of bureaucracy/management She argued that a joint governing board was a needless layer of bureaucracy.

We've cut the number of management layers from five to three.

a thin sheet of a substance on top of a surface, or a level of material that is different from the material on either side:

layer of paint/soil/plastic, etc. The case was made of layers of plastic, paint, and titanium.

a protective/waterproof/insulating layer

one of several related ways of thinking or doing something:

a layer of complexity/meaning

Examples of layer

layer

Other sections expose calcareous shales with thin limestone layers in the upper part of the member.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The exposed cell layers of the hatched blastocyst make firm physical contact and implantation starts.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The rules were supposed to produce a "layered" system of defense.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The case examples show that commonality potential can be realized on different layers of the product architecture within a product family.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The architecture consists of input and output layers separated by two "hidden" layers.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The layout platform defines the arrangement of wires to leads and decouples the leads from other layers of the product architecture.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The product ranges for the individual segments represent a specific combination of individual and standardized layers of the product architecture.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The layouts in the case examples are standardized across all segments, whereas the differentiation aspects are met by the other layers of the product architecture.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

An additional aim was to explore ways to economize field surveys and yet produce accurate or even improved spatial distribution layers.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Were the focal surface to penetrate the tubule, it would bring a defect within the layers.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The former is a telling example of multiple layers of significance.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

A typical mesh of five layers of elements and 20 nodes on a radius has been used.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There it was assumed that all three fluid layers had the same density.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Contamination consists of processes whereby particles settle or adsorb on a clean surface forming layers which reduce the efficiency of the surface.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The soil was divided into layers and water extraction from the pro®le expressed as a function of plant water status.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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