as in intersecting
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as in overlying
to lie over parts of one another
the brochures on the display table should overlap but not so much that the titles are obscured
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Recent Examples of overlapping
Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 26 Feb. 2026
In the 1800s, for example, the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel used the term Zeitgeist—the spirit of times—to refer to such ubiquitous and overlapping influences that operate across both macro and micro levels.
—Maria Balaska, Time, 20 Dec. 2025
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Chitons are distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses, distinguished by overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
At the time, there were multiple overlapping events and philosophies that contributed to the emergence of Brutalist structures.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 2 Mar. 2026
Much like Early One Morning, the surrounding tubes in Bove’s work take on a decidedly imagistic, pictorial quality, their crumpled strands suggesting wide, overlapping brushstrokes varying in tone and texture depending on the play of shadow and light.
—Gordon Hughes, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Jessie Murph, Brothers Osborne, Chayce Beckham Shaboozey, Muscadine Bloodline, Bret Michaels, 49 Winchester and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors are among the other artists scheduled to perform across two stages with no overlapping sets.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 27 Feb. 2026
To finance those bets, OpenAI and rival Anthropic PBC have increasingly tapped an overlapping group of venture funds and tech companies.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Fold in half and place, slightly overlapping, on a warm individual plate, 3 enchiladas per serving.
—Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The compensation strategist explains that there are a few overlapping market conditions that allowed peanut butter raises to rise in popularity today and back in 2008.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Its dealers also have non-overlapping territories, which reduces competition, according to the complaints.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 26 Feb. 2026
In the 1800s, for example, the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel used the term Zeitgeist—the spirit of times—to refer to such ubiquitous and overlapping influences that operate across both macro and micro levels.
—Maria Balaska, Time, 20 Dec. 2025
Verb
Chitons belong to the class Polyplacophora, a group of marine mollusks — distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses — distinguished by a series of overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Chitons are distant relatives of snails, clams, and octopuses, distinguished by overlapping shell plates running down their backs.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
At the time, there were multiple overlapping events and philosophies that contributed to the emergence of Brutalist structures.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 2 Mar. 2026
Much like Early One Morning, the surrounding tubes in Bove’s work take on a decidedly imagistic, pictorial quality, their crumpled strands suggesting wide, overlapping brushstrokes varying in tone and texture depending on the play of shadow and light.
—Gordon Hughes, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Jessie Murph, Brothers Osborne, Chayce Beckham Shaboozey, Muscadine Bloodline, Bret Michaels, 49 Winchester and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors are among the other artists scheduled to perform across two stages with no overlapping sets.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 27 Feb. 2026
To finance those bets, OpenAI and rival Anthropic PBC have increasingly tapped an overlapping group of venture funds and tech companies.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Fold in half and place, slightly overlapping, on a warm individual plate, 3 enchiladas per serving.
—Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The compensation strategist explains that there are a few overlapping market conditions that allowed peanut butter raises to rise in popularity today and back in 2008.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overlapping
Adjective
-
From orbit, the intersecting ridges resemble a massive spiderweb sprawled across the Martian surface.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Among the first studio films shot on digital video, the film uses an innovative real-time split-screen technique, with multiple cameras capturing intersecting action and storylines on a stretch of Sunset Boulevard near the beloved Book Soup (which is still there).—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
However, those sea surface temperatures will be far warmer than the overlying air temperatures.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But clever techniques can work around this limitation, including adaptive optics, which rapidly reshapes a mirror in the telescope to counter the motion of overlying air.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
27 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Published in the journal Matter, the underlying mechanisms behind the inferior photochemical of polymer acceptor and develops a method to enhance both efficiency and stability through small-molecule incorporation.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Although the underlying mechanisms may differ from tissue to tissue, and from organism to organism, the apparent ubiquity of these processes suggests that fracturing is a useful, if counterintuitive, way to sculpt tissues and their vital features.—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Flames were lapping from the home when firefighters arrived, a spokesperson said on social media.—
Kendrick Calfee
February 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In winter, the frothy surf turns to soft, lapping waves and camels lumber down the mountain for a dip.—
Anna Zacharias,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Again, the superposed vector can be decomposed into its constituents.—
Anil Ananthaswamy,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Apr. 2023
-
Like entanglement, the superposed states essential to its power are fragile, collapsing when measured or otherwise perturbed by the outside world.—
Gabriel Popkin,
Science | AAAS,
3 June 2021
Verb
-
As music played in the background, overlaying captions appeared on screen beside Bader, 30, who underwent bariatric surgery in December 2023.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Trying to tap the ice sheet, which covers 80 percent of Greenland, for minerals is unappealing, given that all the necessary supplies would need to be brought inland by helicopter and there are kilometers of ice overlaying parts of the rock.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On curved surfaces, parallel trajectories intersect—liberation movements that appear separate on maps organized around Euroamerican centers were always convergent in Afro-Asian circuits.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
This one being of post-war emancipation, when the convergent forces of wanting to achieve a sun tan and wanting to show some skin became newly acceptable among socially progressive young people.—
Daniel Rodgers,
Vogue,
28 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overlapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overlapping. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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