overlap

verb over·lap \ ˌō-vər-ˈlap \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: overlap in a Sentence

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.

—

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

But the story does offer a fascinating glimpse of the politics, tactics and overlapping relationships that often define high-level thoroughbred racing.

— childs walker, baltimoresun.com, "Questions raised about Belmont race strategy of second Baffert-trained horse, Restoring Hope," 11 June 2018
Midfielder Josué Colmán found an overlapping Tony Rocha, who sent in a cross for Sacha Kljestan, who finished the sequence and leveled the match at a goal apiece.

— jordan culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City falls 5-2 at Vancouver, extends MLS losing streak," 9 June 2018
Those items might be a series of digits, a handful of objects scattered around a room, words in a list, or overlapping sounds.

— jordana cepelewicz, WIRED, "When Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks Your Brain Out of Sync," 9 June 2018
China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, which includes some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, despite overlapping claims from neighbors including the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

— travis fedschun, Fox News, "China slams US after B-52 bomber flyby in South China Sea, calls move ‘risky’," 6 June 2018
Just outside of Corning, hikers have plenty to keep them satisfied with portions of both the 950-mile Finger Lakes Trail system and the overlapping Great Eastern long-distance trail nearby.

— laura kiniry, Smithsonian, "The 20 Best Small Towns To Visit in 2018," 5 June 2018
Presidents and Congress routinely jostle over where to draw the line between their respective and often overlapping powers, but the Supreme Court rarely gets involved in adjudicating such questions.

— charlie savage, New York Times, "Trump and His Lawyers Embrace a Vision of Vast Executive Power," 4 June 2018
The lawyers called witnesses to show dozens of overlapping products—like avocado tomatillo salsa—and a similar in-store layout.

— gabrielle banks, Houston Chronicle, "The finer points of Buc-ee’s case that convinced jury of Choke Canyon’s trademark breach," 23 May 2018
Photos showed clusters of horses with dried mud on their bodies, some overlapping one another.

— felicia fonseca, azcentral, "Over 100 horses apparent victims of drought on the Navajo Nation near Cameron, Ariz.," 2 May 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

NEW! Time Traveler

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