overlap

verb over·lap \ ˌō-vər-ˈlap \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: overlap in a Sentence

Definition of overlap

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.

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overlap

play \ˈō-vər-ˌlap\ noun

See overlap defined for English-language learners

See overlap defined for kids

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 of overlap from the Web

Laura married Prince William's other best friend James Meade, so there's plenty of overlapping friendship groups here.

— marcia moody, Town & Country, "Who Made the Guest List for Pippa Middleton's Wedding?," 15 May 2017
Drape bacon over turkey roll, overlapping slices slightly.

— the good housekeeping test kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast," 2 Dec. 2016
Over the course of two days, the team captured the nuances of the tomb’s chambers and passages using 3D scanning technology and thousands of overlapping DSLR photographs, according to a CuriosityStream press release.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Take a VR Tour of an Egyptian Queen’s Elaborate Tomb," 12 July 2018
There’s the standard style with the ingredients arranged in overlapping layers on a serving dish.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Caprese salad meets grilled bread in this easy summer appetizer," 8 July 2018
Eden Hazard left Paulinho for dead with a superb piece of skill, before passing to the overlapping Thomas Meunier, who couldn't find Romelu Lukaku with his cross.

— james taylor, Pro Soccer USA, "Brazil 1-2 Belgium: Red Devils Shatter Brazil’s Dreams With Clinical Display to Set Up France Clash," 6 July 2018
Eden Hazard left Paulinho for dead with a superb piece of skill, before passing to the overlapping Thomas Meunier, who couldn't find Romelu Lukaku with his cross.

— SI.com, "Brazil 1-2 Belgium: Red Devils Shatter Brazil's Dreams With Clinical Display to Set Up France Clash," 6 July 2018
On a platter, arrange tomato slices in overlapping layers.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: Summery Tomato Salad Two Ways," 3 July 2018
The dates still weren’t consistent; the three collagen methods still produced dates different from the antler samples, but the HYP method yielded an overlapping set of dates: 12,905 to 12,695 years old.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "New study adds evidence to debate over the only known Clovis burial," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overlap.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of overlap

1704

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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overlap Synonyms

Synonyms

lap, overlay, overlie, overspread;

Related Words

shingle;

OVERLAP Defined for English Language Learners

overlap

verb

Definition of overlap for English Language Learners

: to lie over the edge of (something) : to cover part of the edge of (something)
: to happen at the same time as something else
: to have parts that are the same as parts of something else