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
And so there was all sorts of overlapping.
—
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Andrey Fedyaev were originally going to overlap in space with the outgoing crew, a mission known as Crew-11.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
In the third group, six 6-foot-tall paintings on canvas titled Split-screen, the colored stripes multiply and invade the black-and-white space above, creating overlapping layers.
—Benjamin Lima, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
The 2023 recording and the 2021 phone call appeared to overlap.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 10 Feb. 2026
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.
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Andrey Fedyaev were originally going to overlap in space with the outgoing crew, a mission known as Crew-11.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
In the third group, six 6-foot-tall paintings on canvas titled Split-screen, the colored stripes multiply and invade the black-and-white space above, creating overlapping layers.
—Benjamin Lima, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
The 2023 recording and the 2021 phone call appeared to overlap.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overlap
Cite this Entry
“Overlap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overlap. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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
