overlap
verb
over·lap
ˌō-vər-ˈlap 
overlapped; overlapping; overlaps
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.
1
: to occupy the same area in part
The two towns overlap.
2
: to have something in common
Some of their duties overlap.
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
Yet the shows have more in common than the many overlapping names in their credits.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Questions over whether Nvidia 's $100 billion pledged investment in OpenAI to fund the development of Nvidia-centric data centers seems to have prompted a round of scrutiny over a possible eventual endgame of overcapacity and overlapping partnerships and vendor relationships.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
Koestler suggests that a stroke of good fortune, or a vision of the sublime, may evoke a sense of powerlessness — of being rapt, overwhelmed, enraptured, entranced — which overlaps with the helplessness of loss and defeat, and which evokes a similar surrender.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
In a few areas, the trail overlaps with state bike paths, offering yet another way to explore.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overlap
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Judy Berman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Questions over whether Nvidia 's $100 billion pledged investment in OpenAI to fund the development of Nvidia-centric data centers seems to have prompted a round of scrutiny over a possible eventual endgame of overcapacity and overlapping partnerships and vendor relationships.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
Koestler suggests that a stroke of good fortune, or a vision of the sublime, may evoke a sense of powerlessness — of being rapt, overwhelmed, enraptured, entranced — which overlaps with the helplessness of loss and defeat, and which evokes a similar surrender.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
In a few areas, the trail overlaps with state bike paths, offering yet another way to explore.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overlap
Cite this Entry
“Overlap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overlap. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share