overlap

verb over·lap \ ˌō-vər-ˈlap \

Definition of overlap

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

The situation has become so confused - with criminals staking out overlapping domains - that residents often complain about being forced to pay off two or three different groups.

— joshua partlow, chicagotribune.com, "Acapulco, once Mexico's glamorous resort city, is now its murder capital," 25 Aug. 2017
Vasquez had joined the cases for trial, over Jones' objection, because the facts and witnesses in the two cases overlapped.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Chicago, Gary men charged in same homicide to be tried separately," 24 Aug. 2017
The situation has become so confused — with criminals staking out overlapping domains — that residents often complain about being forced to pay off two or three different groups.

— joshua partlow, Washington Post, "Acapulco is now Mexico’s murder capital," 24 Aug. 2017
He has been described as a determined negotiator and a hard-liner regarding relations with the United States but also a realist who has echoed the official line that the two countries have too many overlapping interests not to cooperate.

— neil macfarquhar, New York Times, "Kremlin Names Veteran Diplomat as Ambassador to the U.S.," 21 Aug. 2017
In any case, Anywheres and Somewheres do not overlap precisely with more conventional social categories.

— david goodhart, National Review, "On the Road to Somewhere, the Divide between Elites and Populists," 21 Aug. 2017
Hold the wand about a foot above the deck and move in the direction of the grain using overlapping passes.

— roy berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Stop Your Wooden Deck From Splintering," 12 Aug. 2017
Not surprisingly, nine of the 14 teams to win 10 or more games in five straight seasons did so since 1978 while another two overlapped into that period.

— bob condotta, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks shooting for another 10-win season — and a little bit more NFL history — in 2017," 18 July 2017
His favorite technique was to keep grants of authority incomplete, jurisdictions uncertain, charters overlapping.

— richard haass, The Atlantic, "Donald Trump and the Danger of 'Adhocracy'," 18 July 2017

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

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