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 of overlap

• 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

Scammers paste a new code overlapping the restaurant’s code and direct customers to a fraudulent payment system. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

Glossonic is aimed at shoppers who want those two needs to overlap. — Matt Emma, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who overlapped with Mannion in Green Bay, never heard Mannion talk so much. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Getting around interference The biggest technical hurdle in spectrum sharing is interference – what happens when two signals overlap and scramble each other, like two people shouting different things in your ear at the same time. — Aylin Yener, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026

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