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

• overlie
• lap
• overlay

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

As with much of the South China Sea, Beijing asserts sovereignty over wide swaths of territory that overlap with claims by other governments—including the Philippines. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

In 2005, Caltrans began posting signs on roads that overlap the trail route so drivers could follow it. —Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025

Maybe a persona of boastful anger has something in common, and the two persona vectors overlap. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Gaudí’s secular and sacred impulses overlapped. —D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for overlap

• handicap
• thunderclap
• wiretap
• app
• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap
• hap

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