overlap

verb

over·​lap ˌō-vər-ˈlap 

overlapped; overlapping; overlaps

transitive verb

1

: to extend over or past and cover a part of

The roof shingles overlap each other.

2

: to have something in common with

Baseball season overlaps the football season in September.

intransitive verb

1

: to occupy the same area in part

The two towns overlap.

2

: to have something in common

Some of their duties overlap.

overlap

ˈō-vər-ˌlap 

noun

Synonyms

• lap
• overlay
• overlie
• overspread

Examples of overlap in a Sentence

The roof shingles overlap each other.

Baseball season overlaps football season in September.

Some of your duties overlap his.

Recent Examples on the Web

And their publication overlapped closely with a talking point pressed by Netanyahu at the time – that Israel needed to hold the Philadelphi corridor to secure a deal. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

Or, in an abundance of caution, the IT team uses overlapping database queries to provide invoices to the sustainability team. —Martha Amram, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Brutal Companion, the new book of poems from Ruben Quesada, lives in the space where fear and desire overlap, sharply examining the role that both have played in his life. —James Factora, Them, 1 Nov. 2024

Technology The Big Story Where Harris and Trump stand on tech Former President Trump and Vice President Harris may offer starkly different views for the future of the country, but the two have occasionally overlapped on tech policy. —Julia Shapero, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

overlap

verb

over·​lap ˌō-vər-ˈlap 

1

: to lay or lie over (something) so as to partly cover

that piece overlaps the edge

2

: to have something in common

political and social interests that often overlap

3

: to occupy the same area in part

the photos overlap

overlap

ˈō-vər-ˌlap 

noun